A Hero's Job is Never Done
by Dirty Dingler
Summary: Can Peace last in the land of Tellius? Ashnard may be gone, but a new power has emerged. And who should have to fight it off but the Hero of Tellius himself. No surprise there. Post POR. Many pairings, eventual Ike x Lethe.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic, so R&R please. Hope you like it.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Ike couldn't believe how quickly it had ended. He thought it would be more dramatic. Somehow, someway, he was almost sure that Ashnard would get back up, shrug off his injuries and leap back into battle. That is what the evil antagonist always does.

But he never did. He fell on that day, at that moment by Ike's blade, never to reign over the countless minions he had conquered, the huge army he had corrupted, or the great amount of others he had frightened, ever again.

Finally, Ashnard was dead.

Ike's reality sped up and spiraled into different directions at that point. He lost sight of everything around him and only vaguely remembered hearing screams of joy before losing consciousness.

* * *

Ike awoke from his haze to almost the same noises, but a completely different atmosphere. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but he could hear the merry singing of Crimeans, the loud cries of joy from his acquaintances and even the uncorking of whiskey bottles for what was to be a long day of celebrations on the day after the fall of the Evil King.

Except, instead of still being passed out on the cold hard stone in the courtyard of Castle Crimea, Ike was laying on a warm, comfortable bed. Apparently, since he had destroyed evil in Crimea, he now had a personal chauffeur.

And as Ike finally decided to open his eyes, he was greeted by many in the form of a barrage of hugs. Though he wasn't sure because he was still very drowsy, he thought that most of these people he had never seen in his life until this moment.

Over the constant and continuous "Thank you!" and "Congratulations!" ,though, Ike heard a beautiful and majestic voice he had come to know. Even though its holder spoke in a voice no louder than that of everyone else, Ike heard this voice over all others. He heard it because it was the serene voice that had gave him the courage to go on, to give Ashnard a chase, and eventually bring him down.

"Alright, everyone, out!" Said the voice. "Give our Hero some air."

With a little more persuasion and coercion, the room was finally empty but for Ike and the bearer of the voice.

Ike smiled. And it was a genuine smile. One in which he had not been able to use since before Daein, before Ashnard, before his father's death…

"Thanks, your majesty."

It was amazing how regal Elincia could look. She look like a genuine queen. She had her hair out, and slightly curly, with a classy tiara on her head. That, and the elegant green dress she had on, made her breathtakingly beautiful.

"Don't thank me. That was nothing. Let me have a formal chance to thank you first, hero." Elincia said.

"Elincia, don't. The last thing I need is more thank you's."

Elincia was humorously shocked. "Ike, do you know what you just did? You killed Ashnard! That is no simple feat! That, and you freed Crimea, nay all of Tellius from the shackles of tyranny! Of course, as the princess of the freed nation, I have to thank you!"

"Alright, alright, but please, not too formal."

"Sorry, Ike, but I'm princess, and I have to make it formal. I'd probably be run out Crimea if I didn't thank you in front of thousands."

"What? Why?"

"Well, Ike, you may have not have noticed the huge mob of adoring Crimeans in here just a second ago, but the people love you! If I don't thank you, the people will think that I'm against you, and they will turn against me for it."

"Oh, wow, I never thought of that. You're really good at that politics stuff."

She smiled. "I've been training my whole life."

"Alright, when are you going to do it?"

"I was thinking sometime next week. I'll let you know when I do formally schedule it. And Ike?"

"Yeah."

She walked up to where he lay on his bed and kissed his forehead. "Take that as my informal thank you."

"Thanks, Princess." Ike said as Elincia began to walk to the door.

"And one more thing Ike. Quit with the formalities. We've known each other for a while and I think you should call me by my name from now on."

"What? But you're the Princess! I need to show my respect and loyalty to you."

"I know what I am and I still want you to call me by my name. Everyone garners the same respect in my book."

"Well, if you really want me too, E-Elincia." Even though Ike had known he name for a while and even heard a few times, nothing prepared him to actually speak it. It was a whole different feeling, and not to mention, he had pronounced it very wrong.

Elincia had to try hard to suppress a laugh. "Come on, Ike, it's not that hard to pronounce!"

"I know, I'm sorry, just give me some time to get used to saying your name."

"Relax, Ike, I'm just teasing. Is there anything you need? If not, I need to get back to the throne room; it is probably in complete pandemonium at the moment."

"No, no, I'm fine."

"I assume you don't want me to let the mob back in, do you?"

"No, but if you get the mercenaries, that would help."

"Just because you can use my name now does not mean that I am your new messenger, Ike!" Elincia teased.

"But you are a princess! Surely you have a messenger that can find my company."

"Alright, if that is all _your majesty_, I will take my leave." And the sarcastic Elincia was gone.

* * *

It took one look at Mist's gleaming smile to know that he could finally be happy again. For as long she was happy, so too was Ike.

She and the rest of the mercenaries turned up in Ike's room as soon as they heard he was up after a day of rest. Shinon even came, though one could tell from his body language that he was only there because someone made him. And since he kept shooting Titania dirty looks, Ike suspected in was Titania who made him come.

And as they all walked in, Ike was soon suffocated by hugs from his friends. Well, it was mainly the girls; the guys just gave him a pat on the back or something of that sort. Though Gatrie was the driving force behind the intensity of the hugging, what with his massive bear hugs. It was getting so exhilarating in the room that it was at the point of them almost being as bad as all his other admirers.

"Alright, guys, let the man breathe." There was that voice again. It was once again saving him from almost similar circumstances.

"Princess Elincia!" gasped a very startled Mist.

"Hello, Mist."said Elincia. After she made it to the foot of Ike's bed, she continued. "Felling better?" she asked Ike.

"Yes, Princess, I just need some rest, that's all."

"It's Elincia now, or have you already forgotten." She joked.

"No, Elincia, I'm sorry, it's just…different."

She smiled. "I know, Ike. But what I really came here for is tell you that I have found out when we're doing it. It is scheduled for a week from today. And Ike, I'd like for you to stay in the castle until after."

"Well, if I must…"

She smiled a smile of pity. "You must. Take care, Ike." And, once again, she was gone.

The tone in the room instantly changed from one of celebration to one of curiousity. Soren, always the impatient one, was the first to speak out.

"What is 'it'? Ike, what is she talking about?" he said.

"Well, as you might imagine, you all were not my first visitor. I was swarmed by tons of people by the time I opened my eyes. That's when Elincia came in and asked me if she could thank me in front of all Crimeans."

"Wait, so you accepted?" Mist asked, baffled.

"I'm not doing it for personal glory. I'm doing it so that Elincia can remain queen."

"Oh, that's right," Soren, the only one of them who at least kind of understood politics, said. "The people love you, and they would hate her if she didn't seem to love you. Smart, Ike, you are getting good at politics."

Ike grinned. "Funny you should say that, Soren, because that is almost exactly what I said when Elincia explained the situation to me."

Boyd smirked. "So you didn't come up with that? I guess the smart Ike is just too good to be true…"

Ike grinned "Yeah, ha-ha, but do you have any understanding of politics?"

"I stick to the fundamentals. I don't need politics; only my axe so that I can hack down my enemies. Who needs politics when you can do that?"

"Something tells me you would not make a good king, Boyd…" Oscar pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't want to be king anyway. Too much politics and not enough hacking."

"Hey, where is Ranulf? I haven't seen him in a while." Ike questioned.

"I don't know. The last I saw him was this morning at breakfast." Mist answered.

It was no secret that Ike and Ranulf had developed a fierce friendship. No offense to Mist and the others, but they could get boring. When Ranulf was around, there was always a humorous atmosphere.

"I'm going to go look for him." Ike said.

And despite much resistance, mainly from Mist and Titania, that is what he did.

* * *

Ranulf was still sound asleep when somebody opened his door and barged into his room.

"Hey, what are you doing-Ike!" Instantly, any anger washed away. A smile plastered on his face, he said, "How's it going, buddy?"

Ike grinned, walking over and sitting in a chair near the foot Ranulf'd bed. "Oh, you know. I just saved the world, but no biggee, nothing interesting. What are you doing, still sleeping?"

"I'm a cat, remember? Sleeping is what I do best."

"Well, you must be pretty good at it because you are damn good at mauling, I have noticed."

"Yeah, and you best be careful that I don't maul you for waking me up."

Ike smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

Ranulf grinned. "Normally, I'd jump on a threat like that. But I'm out of it right now. Rough night."

"Why? What happened?"

He sighed. "Lethe, that's what."

"What about her?"

"We were chatting together in a room that consisted of us and your mercenaries. Most of them were too drunk to even care what we were talking about. But Lethe got pissed when a couple of them snickered at a joke I made about her."

"What did you say?"

"Well, basically, I called her stubborn. But it's not like I came right out and it so bluntly. I said it as a joke and she slapped me because of it! We haven't spoken since."

"Ranulf! Even I know not to say something like that to Lethe!"

"But it was a joke. She was supposed to laugh."

"Ranulf, when's the last time you saw her laugh at herself?"

"Well…"

"In the short time that I have known her, I have never seen her do so. She's quick to mock us for our mishaps, but she has too much pride to laugh at herself."

He sighed. "I know…But she's knows that it was a joke. You can never take me seriously."

Ike smirked. "That's a fact. But seriously, pride is as much a part of her nature as humor is part of yours."

"Yeah, I guess you are right…"

"How where you two getting along before that? I always thought that you two would get together."

"Oh, no, it was never that serious. We were on speaking terms, but that's about it."

"Oh, well, you need your sleep. I'll see you later."

"No, Ike, wait! I'm ready, just let me get changed really quick and we can do whatever the Hero of Tellius wants to do." He smirked, putting extra emphasis the 'Hero of Tellius' part.

* * *

After a little discussion as to where to, Ranulf and Ike, accompanied with Boyd, decided to go for a _leisurely_ stroll through the woods surrounding the castle.

As soon as the trio made it out of the castle gates, Ike started full out laughing.

"I can't believe that they bought it!" He said. "A weekend campout in the woods…Priceless! I thought Mist would know me better than to think that I would want to do something as boring as that!"

Boyd grinned. "Yeah, but when she asked to join us, I thought we were done for."

"Yeah, Ike, you solved that seamlessly!"

"Yeah, well…" Ike said, modestly. "What we're doing is kind of a "guy thing" right?"

"Damn right!" Boyd said. "I still can't believe Elincia hooked us up! And agreed to cover for us!"

"Well, we should start going. Elincia said the trip should only take an hour or so, but we should try to get there as soon as possible, so we can warm up."

And so the trio began walking down the path toward a little town by the name of Cibola. It was not a big town, but it did have a main attraction, which was what Ike, Ranulf and Boyd were headed there for. Once a month, it held a one on one dueling tournament, with the winner walking away with ten thousand gold.

"Why was it that Oscar wouldn't come?" Ike asked, once they had begun walking.

"I don't really know." Boyd replied. "I remember him saying that he didn't want to because of the risk of getting hurt. But, that's just dumb, with all that money on the line."

The tournament was quite dangerous. The contestants use their own weapon of choice, and the winner is basically the one who out lasts his opponent. The duel could be made quicker if you disarmed your opponent, but usually, it was a long battle of attrition.

Recently, the tournament's rules had to be changed as Laguz gained the right to participate. For a Laguz versus Beorc battle, the Laguz has until his transformation time is up to land a clean bite on the Beorc. If the Laguz does, he wins. If he doesn't, though, the Beorc wins. For a Laguz versus Laguz battle, and neither land a bite when their transformation times are up, they wait until they can transform again, then start all over.

"Speaking of the money," Ike said, "if one of us wins, let's agree to split the winnings. The actual winner will get four thousand, the other two will get three thousand. Deal?"

"Yeah, that's sounds fair." Ranulf reasoned.

"Yeah, that means I'll get three thousand, because Ike will definitely win!" Boyd said, excited.

"Don't say that, Boyd, we don't know yet…" Ike said.

But Boyd ignored that. "What are you going to do with your winnings, Ike?"

"Well, I was going to buy something nice for Mist for her birthday coming." But a glint of the son reflecting off something metallic made him change the subject. "Boyd, what is that on your finger?"

"Oh, that…" he said, blushing. "Well, it's a ring Mist gave me after I gave her an early birthday present yesterday."

"Aww, it's so romantic!" Ranulf joked, smirking. "So do you want to wear that thing, or is this just a sign of relationship tying you down?"

Boyd was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

Ike grinned. "Don't worry, Boyd, that's just Ranulf being the nutcase that he is. How's Mist anyway? Things getting serious yet?"

"You know, Ike, you're not helping either."

"Alright, alright, I'll stop."

"Thank you," said a relieved Boyd. "It's your turn now, Ike. Find anybody yet?"

"Me? No, not yet."

"Oh, come on Ike," said an exacerbated Ranulf. "You are probably the most popular guy in all of Tellius now! Thousands of beautiful, young girls would love to have the chance to hook up with you!"

"Yeah, well, I'm going to let things settle down a bit first. But what about you, Ranulf? Enlighten us in the ways of love."

"Oh, no, I'm not ready to be tied down yet! The bachelor's lifestyle is for me!"

And on that note, the small town appeared on the horizon, just as eager for the tournament to begin as the trio.

* * *

The three found out when they got to the sign up list that there were sixty four names entered in the tournament. Which meant that the tournament would probably take the rest of Friday, all of Saturday, and most of Sunday.

The trio signed up as soon as they got there, and turned out to be the last to sign up. The brackets were devised soon afterwards. Ranulf had two duels that day, one as the very first match, and one later on at night. Ike and Boyd both had only one.

The actual dueling complex was very nice. It was big, and had four match rings, where the duels were to take place. And they were told that if you went out of the lines in the ground that marked the boundaries to the rings, you were automatically disqualified, even if you were pushed out. That was another way that you could claim victory.

"Okay, Ranulf, you ready for this?" Ike asked as Ranulf' first match was drawing near.

"Oh yeah!" Ike could tell he was getting pumped.

"Well, Ranulf, you have the benefit of nobody knowing who you are. But I've asked around about your opponent, and most of them seem to agree that he is very good. Some say he even has a shot to win this thing. His greatest asset is his speed, so don't do anything stupid, and wait for your opportunity. I think it is time for you to get out there. Go get him!"

So Ike and Boyd watched from a distance as Ranulf's match, as well as three other matches, were under way. Ranulf opponent did turn out to be very quick, but he was also unorthodox with a blade. Ranulf soon landed a bite on his left leg, drawing a little blood, ending the battle. But it was all legal, seeing as they were at a dueling tournament. Besides, they had healing clinics for the hurt.

The rest of the day went well for the trio. The only scary point was when Boyd almost carelessly stepped out of the ring.

By the beginning of the second day, only twenty fighters remained. Ranulf had one match, Boyd had two, and Ike had three. All the matches resulted in victories.

So going into the third day, only six people remained. If Ike beat Donovan, the two time returning champ of the tournament, he was in the finals. Donovan was a big, powerful axe-wielder, but lacked speed. All in all, Ike didn't think he was all that imposing.

The road was a little tougher for Boyd and Ranulf. If both of the won their next match, they would have to face each other in the semi finals. Boyd had to face a featherweight spear-wielder, so he was good to go. But Ranulf had to face a surprise entrant.

And Lethe was fighting with a grudge on her shoulder.

An inspired Lethe is a damn good fighter, and Ranulf did not stand a chance. And neither did Boyd. So when Ike made short work of Donovan, it was an Ike-Lethe final.

"Watch out, Ike." Ranulf advised, as the finals were about to begin. "She is mad and ready to fight."

"Good luck, Lethe." Ike said, offering a hand to shake before the match was to begin.

"Hss, just get ready to fight, Beorc." She replied, rejecting his handshake.

So the two took to their positions, and upon the official's signal, the battle had commenced.

An inspired Lethe, Ike soon found out, was a very aggressive fighter. She would leap, and he would do all he could just to dodge, then she would just turn right around again and leap again. But Ike knew that if he kept this up, she would have to revert soon, and he would win.

Lethe soon realized this and began to change her tactics. She began to incorporate slashes with her paws as the main focal point of her attacks. Knowing he had to block her, as he only had so much room to retreat, he decided he needed to use his blade. But being the kind man that he is, he didn't want to hurt her, and decided to just use the flat side of his blade to fend off her attacks. And it was working too.

Lethe was beginning to become frustrated. She couldn't land an attack, and her time was running out. But she noticed that he was holding back. He was going hard at her, because he didn't want to hurt her. And that just made her more infuriated.

With her leaps, she began to hurl herself almost right at the blade, knowing he would do anything, just trying to dislodge.

But an excessively mad Lethe is prone to making mistakes. And she made a very bad one that cost her the tournament.

She was becoming so mad that she leaped directly at his face, intending to strike. But at that angle, she left her exposed chest wide open. One thrust with the flat side of Ragnell, and she was out of the ring with no blood spilt, ending the match and the tournament.

Massive cheers and applause broke out among the spectators, but Ike wasn't interested in that. He quickly rushed over to where Lethe lay and offered her a hand to help her get up.

"Good battle, Lethe, I thought you had me."

Lethe ignored the comment and his hand. She quickly sprang up on her own, with something totally different on her mind.

Revenge.

With the speed of a cat and the strength of a tiger, Lethe connected with a devastating right hook to Ike's left jaw, leaving him staggering. But that wasn't all. He soon felt a sharp pain in his left knee as she connected with a kick there.

The kick had knocked Ike's feet out from under him, sending him flying. He made contact with the ground, sending a shot through his left wrist, and that was all he remembered before passing out.

* * *

"I assure you my Liege, now would be the optimal time to attack."

A Commander and his King spoke alone in a gigantic throne room. Amaros, the Commander, was not the type of person you'd want to get into a fight with. At about six and a half feet tall, with long flaming red hair and a big body, he intimidated everyone he met, except for the King that is. The king himself is only about five and a half feet tall, a little overweight, and had short, somewhat receding gold hair. Not the typical image of an 'ideal' King, but King Theo had his heart set in the right place. He is fair and just, as any ruler should be, and is loved by all of his people.

"Amaros, the last time you said that, we got into a long and bloody war with Dynastia that got us nothing. Two-hundred and fifty thousand of our men killed, and we got nowhere. How do I know that's not going to happen again?"

"While it is true that I was wrong last time, the circumstances in this case are much different, my Lord. The land of Tellius is in utter shambles at the moment. They have just emerged from a large civil war in which almost the entire land was part of. Crimea and Daein have almost been destroyed as it is, and all of the subhuman races have taken their tolls in numbers. Begnion took only light casualties, and they remain our only real threat."

"Forgive me, but what is a subhuman? I have never heard of them before."

"Now, I don't claim to know a lot about the subhuman, but they are half man, half animal. From what I have heard, they can only fight in their animal form, which is a plus for us, as they have a limited transformation time."

"One more thing. Why do you want all this land? Why do you wish to attack Tellius?"

"My answer has not changed from the last time you asked that. I only wish to unify the world under one ruler. You, my Lord."

"Very well, take your men and go. But Amaros, do try to keep the casualties to a minimal."

* * *

Ranulf and Boyd, nay the entire complex was in utter shock after what happened. Most had not seen it take place, but one look at Ike and one could tell that foul play had taken place.

"Lethe!" Ranulf hollered. "What the hell are you doing!"

"Pff, spare the rants, Ranulf, I was just giving to him what he deserved."

Boyd was further infuriated by this comment. "Lethe, he saved the world! Without him, we'd all still be enslaved by Ashnard! Do you really think he deserves that?"

"Yeah, Lethe, stop being so damn selfish-"

Ranulf soon realized that was not the right thing to say. She was becoming as mad as he had ever seen her.

"You're always accusing me, Ranulf, of everything! And Ike is always backing you up and he always thinks he is better than everyone else! Somebody had to put him in his place, so I did!"

"Ike is the most selfless man I know!" Ranulf hollered at Lethe, who was quickly leaving at a furious pace. "He would never do anything to hurt you, so why would you hurt him?"

Though she left the building without so much as looking back, and though she didn't want to believe it, that comment got to her.

Now Ranulf or Boyd were never one to be good at healing injuries, but one look at Ike and the blood that was oozing out of his mouth gave them a good indication that he needed to see a healer, and quickly.

"And when I first saw her, I thought she was a good lass…" A man Ranulf and Boyd recognized to be one of the officials said, joining them in the inspection to the extent of Ike's injuries. "Do you two know him?"

"Yeah." Ranulf replied.

"He's a good friend." Boyd added.

"Well, don't worry boys, this young man can stay here until he heals."

"No, but we can't stay. We have to leave now. We have to get back as soon as possible." Boyd said.

"Where?"

Ranulf saw no reason to lie to the man. "To Crimea castle."

"So, is what you said true? Is this really the Hero? Ike?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"And he was friends with this woman who did this to him?"

"Acquaintances, to say the least." Boyd replied.

"Well, if you must leave, than you may. Can I trust you with his prize money?"

"Thank you very much, kind sir."

"Don't mention it. And when Ike awakes, tell him that I said thanks and that I hope for a speedy recovery.

* * *

"You-did-WHAT?"

Mist, when she was angry, was indeed a very scary sight. But Ranulf and Boyd had already endured her. Titania, though, was in a whole different league.

"We…went away to a dueling tournament for the weekend." Said an ashamed Boyd.

"Unbelievable!" Said Titania, rage mounting. "It's no wonder that Ike is over here on his deathbed."

"But…he's not dying." Ranulf pointed out.

"I realize that. But he just as easily could be. What you two did was both stupid and very risky. And I would have expected better from the two of you. When we get back to the fort, I am docking you a week's pay. As for you Ranulf, I can't punish you, but just know that I would if I could. What exactly happened to him?"

Knowing that Lethe would probably end up coming back, Ranulf and Boyd decided to cover up her dirty act with a lie. That way, she would get killed upon sighting.

"The other finalist beat him up while he was off guard, probably because he was jealous and wanted the money."

"Poor Ike, the hardships that poor boy must overcome…" she sighed. "You two are staying in this room until Ike is awake again. I hope you two learn a sense of responsibility."

And with that, Titania left the room, closing it and locking Boyd and Ranulf in the two-bed bedroom.

"Ha!" Ranulf said as Titania left. "You lose your wage and I get off scott free!"

"Shut up!" Boyd smirked. "Besides, my share of the money is way more than my weekly wage!"

Ranulf grinned. "Good thing we conveniently forgot to tell her that we got the prize money."

"Yeah," Boyd added. "She probably would have taken it from us if we told her."

Silence filled the room as the laugh died down.

"I hope Ike will be okay." Ranulf said, breaking the silence, only for the room to be filled with it once more.

* * *

"Did you do what I asked?"

Four men sat around a big round table in a gigantic room. It was the type of room that sent shivers down your spine. It had no candles, and only one tiny window with blood red drape to let light in. It was so dark, that a man could be ten feet from you and you wouldn't know it.

Amaros sat at the head chair, as leader of the group. The group, unknown by King Theo, shared similar ideals, such as destruction, chaos, and death. He glanced around at his generals. To his left sat General Hogan. Hogan is considered by many to be the greatest tactician in the world. Not only that, but he is also an accomplished dark magician. He was short, had jet black hair, and always wore a piercing stare with his cold, black eyes. To Amaros' right was General Darod. Darod was definitely the most intimidating of the group, being at least seven feet tall and muscles that would put that of a body builder's to shame. Directly across from Amaros sat Aileana. She was a formidable swordsmaster, and what she lacked in strength, she made up for in stealth. She always lurks in the shadows, waiting for the opportune time to attack.

"Yes sir, Commander Amaros." General Hogan replied.

"And?"

"Well, Daein was a complete wreck. Much of the countryside is in ruin and it is going to be a long time til they're back on their feet. As for Crimea, they still have a long rebuilding process, too. But all work has stopped in Melior, their capital city. They are beginning preparations for a festival to commemorate their hero."

"Hmm. What of this hero?"

"He is about average height, and has brilliant blue hair. He has a pretty muscular body, but nothing compared to Darod."

"Did you see him in action?"

"Yes sir, I managed to spy on him while he was sparring with an orange haired sub-human. It seemed he was trying to teach her something instead of full out sparring, so naturally, he was going easy on her. But even from what I saw, he seemed to be a very dangerous opponent. He is very graceful and poetic with a blade, and not mention powerful."

"Hmm, interesting. Hogan, do you have any suggestions for a plan?

"Plan?" roared Darod. "We don't need a plan! We just need to go in there, take out the hero, and then it will be downhill from there!"

"We can't do that, not without finding out more about this hero. Did you ever think that he might be able to take you down?" Aileana countered.

"Ha! Him, take me down? I'd like to see him try!"

"Quiet, you two. Hogan, what do you suggest?" Amaros asked again.

"Well," Hogan answered. "if we want to keep the surprise attack alive, we must attack either Crimea or Gallia. We'd have to travel through their territory to attack anywhere else first. While Gallia did suffer some pretty major damage to their warriors, they did not have any structural damage. Since Crimea lost more men and are in ruin, I believe we should attack them first to establish ourselves. That being said, what's left of the Crimean army is going to very confident at this point, as they believe their hero can save them from anything. The solution is simple, take out the hero. Not only will we take out a very dangerous opponent, but we will also destroy the army's moral in one fell swoop."

"How do you suggest we do that?"

"We must first see what the hero is capable of. We should send a small force to meet the hero, no more than fifty men. Through my detective work, I learned that the hero is returning to his mercenary fort, near the village of Caldea, by the end of the week. So we take those men to have them fight against the hero and whoever is with him while two people, preferably Aileana and I, to watch and report back here. If the troop manages to kill him, it is a huge plus for us. But if he holds the force at bay, as I expect, at least we'll know what we're up against."

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Amaros said, then called out, "Servant!" to the man standing just outside the door leading to the hallway.

"Yes, sire?"

"Fetch me Marshall Lenard."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all who reviewed. I know that Lethe's character was a bit overexagerated, and it'll be completely opposite to start this chapter, but I promise it will level out soon. And sorry about the long time between updates. I'll try to write faster, but I have basketball everyday, so I can't promise much. Well, now that I've finished rambling, hope you enjoy the update!**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Ike finally regained full consciousness in the dead of night. The full moon was out and shining right through his window giving him pretty good vision. He was, he soon found out, very sore. He found it difficult to breath and his left knee, he could tell without seeing it, was swollen. The real problem seemed to be his left elbow. He tried moving it a very slight distance, but even that made him gasp in pain.

Ike heard something after he had gasped. Something like someone being startled awake by a noise. After a little looking, he found the culprit. An orange cat with big purple eyes was staring right at him.

To be honest, Ike was surprised that she was anywhere near here. He would have figured that Mist or Titania would take care of her if she even stepped into the castle. But as it turned out, Lethe took Boyd and Ranulf's lead and had told anybody that she did it.

The cat quickly reverted and walked up to his bed. "Ike!" she said.

"You realize that I am like this because of you? Go away, I don't want to talk to you." Ike found it more difficult to talk now, with a sore jaw, but at least it was bearable.

"I'm sorry, Ike-"

"Sorry? Lethe, I was trying to help you, and then you beat me down like a crazed maniac."

"Just hear me out, Ike, please?"

"Fine. You're lucky I don't have it in me to hold grudges."

"Ike, I'm so sorry! I was blinded by pride and ignorance, I lost control! Something about Ranulf's light-hearted attitude and your always-help mentality set me off."

"Lethe, none us are perfect. But we must accept our faults and strive to overcome them. In doing that, we become good enough, as close to perfect we can become."

"But me pride won't let me! It is always there, in my head, telling me that I'm better than any Beorc. It tells me horrible things; like that Beorc should be massacred like they did to us. It says that all Beorc should suffer for what their ancestors did to ours. Even at this moment, it is telling me that I should strangle you, just for being a Beorc!"

"But you're not, are you? Lethe, pride is in all of us, me included. But, as you have shown me just now, you have power over it. I'm not asking you to change yourself; I personally like your fiery attitude. But if you could just do as you are doing now, you would be a much better person."

"But I don't know if I'll be able too, Ike. The only reason I'm not giving in now is because I know I really screwed up.

"Just try. That is all I can ask for. Try to resist…"

Seeing her, standing in the small pool of moonlight coming in from the window, Ike could tell that she desperately wanted to, but seemed doubtful. She also looked deeply remorseful, and well underfed.

"Thank you, Ike." She said before wishing him good night and walking out the door, presumably to go back to her room and take a well-earned rest.

* * *

Early the next morning, Mist and half the mercenaries were suddenly running into the room, saying, "Ike's up! Ike's alright!"

Ike, startled awake, was pulled into a very ferocious hug by his little sister, as if it was the first time they had seen each other in years.

"Welcome back." She whispered into his ear, a little teary.

"God, Mist, you make it sound like I've been out for a year."

"Don't ever do that to us again." She said sternly.

"Oh yeah," Ike smirked, playing with his little sister. "Like I really meant for all this to happen."

She smiled. "I'm serious."

Ike jumped at his opportunity. "Yeah, and I'm Ike, but what do our names have to do with anything?"

Everyone but Mist had a good laugh at this. "Ike, stop it. You don't know how close we were to losing you." Mist replied. The laughter instantly died down and the tone in the room once again returned to melancholy.

"What? I'm not dying; just a little sore that's all." Ike looked questioningly at Mist, who was now standing in front of him with tears forming in her eyes.

But this time it was Rhys that spoke up. "Ike," he started somberly, "This is very serious. You were very close to dying. At about noon two days ago, you just stopped breathing. For a whole minute, we believed you to be dead."

The gloomy expressions on the faces of the mercenaries seemed to confirm this. Mist was crying full out now, and of the others there, Titania, Oscar, Mia, Rhys, and Shinon, all but Shinon seemed to have tears welling up at least a little. And Shinon always was an unemotional, unsympathetic excuse for a man, so that didn't really matter to Ike.

"Wow, I had no idea, sorry guys..." Ike said, crestfallen. He knew that must have been torture on his friends, probably the longest minute they had experienced in their lives. He smirked. "Next time I try to see how long I can hold my breath, I'll do it at a less dramatic time."

"Isaac Greil!" Titania screeched. "Don't you get it? You were utterly inches from death! This is definitely not something you should joke about!"

"Titania, it's over. I'm alive and feeling good, so why can't I joke about it?"

"Ike..." she sighed. "You're as reckless as your father."

"Look, Titania. I know what you went through must have been hell, but life is too short to be worrying about what might have happened. We have to put it behind us and move on."

_'Wow' _Mia thought. _'That is the most inspirational thing Boss has ever said! I guess I'll have to just put this behind me, too!'_

"Hey Boss," she said, smiling. "How does it feel to be the first man to come back from the dead?"

Ike smiled at her. "See Titania? Mia has got the hang of it."

Titania sighed and left the room. She decided it was time the two delinquents were released.

"So, Rhys, have you taken a look at me yet? What exactly is wrong with me?" Ike asked.

"Well, other than a couple of bumps and bruises, nothing."

"Really? But why do I feel so sore then?"

Rhys smirked. "Oh, and you have a broken left wrist, fractured left elbow, chipped jaw, and a torn ligament in your left knee. You also have a broken rib, which I suspect is why you stopped breathing two days ago."

Ike smiled. "Wow, that's a mouthful. And a bit more of what I was expecting. How long will it take to heal?"

"The knee will take the longest, and that'll heal in about six weeks."

"Oh great. Six weeks of sleeping in this bed. How could it get any better?" Ike asked, sarcasm oozing out of his voice.

"Actually, no. You will rest here for a few, and then, Elincia has made it clear, that you will show up for her 'party' or whatever she called it. Then we're returning to the fort."

"Party? What party?"

"I don't know. She just you're going to be here for it."

"Ike!" Boyd exclaimed as he, Ranulf, and Titania entered the room. "How's it going, buddy!"

With a smile on his face, he said. "Oh, there you guys are! I was starting to think you had forgotten me…"

"We didn't forget," Ranulf said, "We were held against our wills by a certain red-haired paladin."

"Yeah, Ike, "Boyd added. "Tell Titania you suggested this whole charade."

Ike smirked. "Thank you, Titania, these two deserved to be locked up."

"Hey, that's not fair." Ranulf complained.

"Well, life is not fair, get used to it." He grinned. "So, Rhys, how exactly are we getting back to the fort if I can't walk?"

"Well," Rhys replied. "You are not going to like it, but we are going to wheel you back in a farmer's wagon."

"Oh great, who came up with that brilliant idea? Boyd?" Ike noticed for the first time, as he glanced at Boyd, that Boyd was completely zoned out.

"Seems to be lost in thought..." Oscar muttered.

Ike couldn't resist. "Yeah, thinking is unfamiliar territory for Boyd. Easy for him to get lost there." He smirked and all the mercenaries laughed.

Boyd, having come back to reality from the noise, said "Huh, what did I miss?" which only made them laugh harder. Boyd just shrugged and waited for them to regain their composure. Mist, who was now holding his hand, only smiled and shook her head.

"Hey, Ike, have you talked with Lethe yet?" Mist said when the room was once again silent.

"Yeah, she was here when I woke up last night. Why?"

"Because she has been camping out in here for the past three days, waiting for you get up so she could tell you something important

"Oh, yeah, she talked to me. She just wanted to forgive herself, that's all."

Mist became curious. "Forgive herself? For what?"

"For doing this to me." He said matter of factly.

"Ike!"

"No!"

But Boyd and Ranulf's precautions went in vain, as the words were said and there was no going back.

"She did this to you!" Said an outraged Mist.

"Wait until I get my hands on her…" Said a furious Titania.

"Hmm. She was always a little touchy, but I never would have thought she would do that." Said a thoughtful Rhys.

"Damn subhuman." Said an unemotional Shinon.

"You two knew! Why didn't you tell us?!" Titania almost full-out yelled.

"Because we knew you would do this! Lethe was not right in the head at the time, and she did something she truly regrets. But, of course, you are always quick to jump to conclusions and overreact!" hollered an almost as furious Ranulf.

"But we trusted her! And she betrayed that trust and almost killed him! Come on," She added to Mist and the other over-reactors. "Let's go find her and give her what she deserves!"

"Titania, stop." Ike said in a quiet, commanding tone.

"Are you serious? Ike, I'm trying to help you!"

"What, by picking another fight?" He was starting to get mad, but he remained passive and controlled in his tone. "Revenge will do nothing to help me, Titania, I'm sure you know that."

"But Ike," It was Mist this time. "Look what she did to you!"

"Look, Mist, we have been through so much to get where we are today. It would be nice if we could all just get along so that all that hardship is not lost. If we can't even enforce peace between friends, how are we going to fare when we face another enemy?"

"Ike, if you haven't noticed, all of Tellius is in shambles! Nobody in their right minds would attack now!"

"But," Ike argued with mock curiosity, as if he already knew he was right. He must have been sure she was going to bring that up, and had already come up with a counter-argument. "If we are all in shambles, wouldn't that make us a perfect target for someone outside Tellius?"

And, as they were arguing, that someone from outside of Tellius was already seizing the opportunity.

"Look, Titania, Mist, I don't hunt you down when you two make a mistake. Granted, Lethe's mistake was quite a bit larger than anything you two have down, but all the same, I want you two to forgive her just as I would forgive you."

The two still looked doubtful, but, begrudgingly, they accepted.

So, all at once, the group left, leaving Ike alone, or so he thought. Little did he know that two stragglers had stayed behind.

Well, he found out when he felt a sharp jab to his shoulder.

"Ow! What the-" He opened his eyes to the sight of Boyd's grinning face, obviously very proud of what he just did.

"Boyd…" Mist sighed. "I asked you to wake him."

"Well, it woke him didn't it? And ol' toughie Ike here wasn't hurt by that, was he?"

"Next time, I'd appreciate a less rough awakening, please." Ike muttered.

"Oh, come on, you weren't even asleep yet."

"Just say what you got to say and get out, so I can't get some shut-eye."

"We have something very important to say to you. Please don't overreact."

"Overreact? Me?" Ike asked, shocked. "Who's the one starting balling when you saw me hurt? I had a few bumps and started crying like I was on my deathbed." He smirked.

"Don't even go there, Ike, it was way more serious than just 'a few bumps'!"

"All right, fine, calm down. " He said grinning. "Just say what you gotta say and I promise I will not overreact as much as you did."

With a supportive glance at Boyd, the two of them flashed their matching gleaming gold rings. "Ike, Boyd and I are getting married."

It took a little while for the effect of these words to settle in on Ike.

After a little while, Ike muttered. "Well, I said I wouldn't overreact, but I wasn't quite expecting this…"

"We were planning to tell you earlier, but…" Mist elaborated, but she wasn't able to finish.

Ike scratched the back of his neck, as if the scene was too awkward for him. "So, marriage, huh? Wow, I'm feeling a million emotions at once…"

"What do you think?" Mist asked questionably. "How do you feel about it?"

It took a single one-word answer to stump the couple. "Shame." He said.

"What?" Mist was starting to get a little annoyed. "What are you ashamed of? We love each other, why can't you just accept that?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that." He grinned. "I'm ashamed of myself for getting beat to the punch by my seventeen year old sister!"

Mist let out an exasperated sigh. "Everything is always a joke with you, isn't it?" She said grinning. "Why can't you take anything seriously?"

Boyd had a different take on the joke. "Wow!" Boyd said in awe. "That was great! You even had me swayed!"

"Boys…" Mist sighed. "I'll leave you two to your jokes while I get back in touch with reality. I think I'll go talk to Titania about your immaturity." And she left.

As soon as the door shut, Ike grinned and said, "Whoa, she is so pissed!"

Boyd laughed. "Yeah, did you see her face when you said that you felt shame?"

"Oh, yeah, I thought she was about to murder me! That death stare she gives can be quite intimidating…"

"Yeah, I've gotten that look many times…" Boyd said, reminiscing.

"So, married, huh? Hey, I heard that the bride and groom share the first dance at the reception." Ike was always quick to try to expose Boyd's weaknesses. And dancing was near the top of Boyd's list of weaknesses.

"What? No way! Stop playing around! Are you serious?"

Ike grinned. "Boyd, do you remember a time when I have ever been to a marriage? I have never been to one and therefore, have no idea what they are like."

"Whew, you had me worried."

"Hey, wait," Ike said, smirking. "We're related now, aren't we?"

"Hey, yeah, cool!"

Ike grinned. "Aww, man, this means I won't be able to get away with any more jokes any more, what with your fiancée being so uptight."

"Oh, don't worry about it." Boyd said nonchalantly. "I'm sure she'll be cool with it."

"Yeah, right." Ike replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, no, that's not going to happen. But I'm starting to get hungry. You'll be okay by yourself for a while, right?"

"Oh, yeah, don't mind me; I'll just stare at the ceiling until you return."

"Oh, save the pity for someone who cares. I'm starving, and I need food. See you in a few hours." He said, smirking.

And, once again, Ike was left, alone.

* * *

But it was not an hour before a knock on his door sounded throughout Ike's room.

Startled and confused, Ike said, "Come in."

"Sir Ike," said one of Elincia's guards as he opened the door. "The Princess would like to speak with you."

"Hmm," Ike said, as if in intense deliberation. "Tell her I would love to, but I can't really walk at the moment."

"She has offered to come here."

"Oh, well, in that case, tell her that I will see her when I have a free spot in my busy schedule. It will be at least a week, probably more." Ike said, grinning.

"Alright, that's enough," said Princess Elincia as she burst through the door. "Thank you, Roland; you may take your leave."

With a bow, the guard left.

"Hey there, Princess! Long time no see!"

"Busy schedule, huh?" Elincia said, grinning. "Care to enlighten me as to what is occupying you right now?"

"Princess!" Ike said with mock shock. "Is eavesdropping really what you have to resort to?"

"When it comes to you, it does."

"Are you calling me untrustworthy?" Ike asked with a mock hurt expression on his face.

"Look," She said, grinning. "I just sent him in to tell you I was coming. But I knew that you would somehow warp the plan."

"Since when do you have to announce your arrival? You're the Princess! Feel free to walk right in next time."

"Well, I was just making sure you weren't, you know, changing or something…"

"Changing?" Ike asked, trying hard to keep a straight face. "You mean, like, changing clothes? Oh, you needn't worry about that, I haven't changed since before the tournament."

"That's…disgusting. Why did you have to tell me that?"

"How about you tell me how I can change without moving? Because I can't find a way."

"I understand that, but why did you have to ruin my fantasy of you being clean?"

Ike shrugged. "I knew you'd react humorously. Don't look at me like that!" He added when he saw her flabbergasted expression. "Rhys told me that the greatest ailment to this type of injury is laughter!"

"Whatever." She said with slight grin. "I'll just return to pretending that you are clean."

With his arms outstretched, Ike said. "So you'll give me a big hug now, right?"

"Ew, no. But I will finally talk to you about what I really came here for."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Actually, all things considered, I'm feeling pretty good. Rhys says my injuries are healing well and that I should be able to walk with a crutch soon."

"So you'll be able to go for it then right? It's in two days."

"Oh yeah, that…What exactly are the plans?"

"Well, I made it into sort of a dinner-dance. Hey!" she added in response to Ike's startled demeanor. "I made these plans before I knew you were crippled, it's not my fault!"

"But I can't dance even if I wasn't crippled!"

"I thought I would draw a larger crowd if it was a bigger event. Besides, since you can't dance, what are you complaining for? All you have to do is sit there."

"Yeah, but that's the point! This is going to be so boring."

"Oh, quit pouting. I'll see you in a couple of days." And, with a grin on her face, she left.

* * *

"…Can you believe that?"

Ike still lay in his bed, with a couple of usual suspects surrounding him. It was just Boyd and Mist at the moment, with Ranulf strangely absent.

"I don't know why you are so mad about this, Ike." Mist said. "Personally, I think it's very romantic. Don't you, Boyd?"

"I gotta side with Ike on this one, Mist."

"That's just because you don't think you can dance. Just try it; I'm sure you're good at it. I'll even teach you if you want."

"I don't know…wouldn't that require us holding hands? I don't know if I am ready for that yet…" Boyd said, smirking.

"Oh, grow up, Boyd."

"Well, at least my excuse is justifiable. Ike doesn't like it just because it would require him to be close to a girl he knows he couldn't be together with." Then Boyd added, grinning, "Did I get that right about you and Elincia, Ike?"

"Shut up."

But Mist looked confused. "Is that true, Ike?"

"Well," Ike started to answer, but was abruptly cut off by Boyd.

"Oh yeah, Ike has had the biggest crush on Elincia since I don't even know when."

"Don't listen to him, Mist, it's nothing like that."

"But it sounds pretty serious."

"Look, we couldn't be together even if I wanted to, so let's just drop the subject, alright?"

"See, Mist?" Boyd said, grinning. "Isn't that just what I said?"

Mist let the matter go, though she continued to watch Ike curiously for the rest of the evening, until she and Boyd left and Ike went to bed.

* * *

The scheduled evening was rapidly approaching. So rapidly, in fact, that before he knew it, Ike was greeting the early birds for the little get-together Elincia had planned.

The castle had been greatly ordained for the formal evening. Everywhere you looked, you would find beautiful, freshly rooted plants with an elegant fragrance and large tapestries portraying the Royal Family of the fine Princess Elincia; the great kings and queens of yesteryear. Not only that, but there were even some grandiose statues of the triumphant hero Ike, with his sword stretched towards the heavens above, clear determination and resolve etched on his face; the work of the finest masons in all of Crimea.

It Ike's opinion, they had completely blown his achievement out of perspective, making it much more grand than it ought to have been. But, there was nothing he could do but work his way through the evening, then he could be on his way back home.

It started out alright; all Ike had to do was sit in the entrance room and greet the giddy guests who had the privilege of meeting the hero who had saved their country.

But pretty soon, his jaw began to ache due to the amount of response he gave to all his hundreds of guests. Every single guest, in one way or another, said "Thanks for saving Crimea," and with all the hundreds of "Your Welcome" 's he gave out, it was no question why it ached so much.

Elincia had made up a seating arrangement, so when it to be time to start dinner, Ike found himself, to no great surprise, at the head of the long, rectangular table; sandwiched between Lucia on his right and Geoffrey on his left.

The dinner consisted of some of the most exotic and formal foods that Ike had ever seen. Normal meats, turkey and ham and such, loaded with fancy spices and eccentric herbs that made the usual food completely indistinguishable. It was almost bearable to eat with all the excessive formalities smothered on top.

Not that dinner wasn't a complete thrill for Ike, but he was glad that it was time for the dance. And he was the first to go back to the entrance hall, which had been completely remodeled to suit the needs of a dance hall. Many chairs surrounded a vast area of the floor for what was to be the dance floor.

Using his crutch as a support, Ike managed to hobble his way over to a grand throne chair, which Elincia had made _very _clear that it was to be his chair. Through he could barely walk, much less dance, Elincia had asked him to sit in the chair for the duration of the event. What a way to spend four hours.

Ike sighed in defeat as the majority of the guests, after a hearty dinner, made their way over to the dance floor. Even most of his friends were out there by now. Boyd with Mist, Rhys with Mia, Oscar with Nephenee, who had turned up for the occasion; all the couples made him feel lonely.

But he was alone for long. As it turns out, Ike was not the only one that was alone.

"Can you believe that? He's at it again." Titania ranted as she drew nearer to Ike.

"What? Who are you talking about?" Ike asked.

"Shinon! He just does not quit." She said, pointing to a section of the floor where a clearly drunk Shinon, swaying all over the place, was flirting with a young blonde girl, who was already dancing with her date.

Ike could not help but laugh out. "I don't know if even you could change him, Titania."

"I just wish he would stop embarrassing me, embarrassing us, like this."

"Well, what do you intend to do about it?"

"Well, for now, I'll urge him to drink more and more. The first thing tomorrow, I'll scream his brains out."

"Whoa, Titania has a bad side?" Ike said, laughing. "I like it! Just do me one favor."

"What's that?"

"Make sure I'm there when you're doing the screaming."

"Oh yeah, would you like that?" She said, grinning. "But you wouldn't like it if I screamed you brains out, would you?"

"Oh, I know better than to drink when you are around." Ike said, offhandedly.

"Ike!" Titania said, shocked.

"I mean, I know better than to drink. That is what I meant to say." Ike said innocently.

"Look, I don't care if you drink, Ike, but why would you tell it to my face?"

Ike shrugged, grinning. "You got to admit it, Titania, sometimes your reactions, or rather overreactions, can be quite amusing."

"That's it, Ike, I'm leaving!" She said, trying to be commanding, but was foiled by the grin on her face. But she was true to her word, and she went to Shinon, obviously to get him even more drunk.

It was then that Ike laid eyes on Elincia for the first time the entire evening. She was dancing with Geoffrey, front and center, and never before had she ever looked so graceful, so majestic...

Ike woke up from his daydream as she was soon swallowed up in the crowd. But the vision of her would remain. Not only for the rest of his lonely evening, but perhaps even for much longer than that…


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello readers! I will probably have another update by then, but if not, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you all like the update.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

A total of fifty-four men stood on a boat in the early hours of a cool, sunny morning. The sun was just beginning to appear in the horizon. That, coupled with the nice refreshing breeze made the morning an excellent day for departure. The boat had not left yet, but preparations were almost complete. Everything had been loaded and all the soldiers had been designated their sleeping arrangements. Just a few final details had to be worked out before the boat and its crew could begin the week long journey to Tellius.

The fifty-four men consisted of Commander Amaros, Generals Hogan and Aileana, Marshall Lenard, and the entire twenty-sixth division. The twenty-sixth division is often thought of as the worst division in the army, but Commander Amaros did not want to waste his best soldiers on this particular mission.

"Marshall Lenard, are your men ready?" Amaros asked.

"Yes sir, they have loaded everything and are ready to be deployed." He replied.

"Good. Now, Hogan will lead you to the hero, but after that, he and Aileana will leave. It will be your task to take the hero down, and anyone he hangs around with. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good. Hogan, Aileana, follow me." Amaros lead them down the plank and onto the dock, out of earshot of Lenard and his men.

"Hogan, are you sure the timing is right?"

"Positive, sir. Through the spies we have sent to Crimea, I am sure that the party for the hero happened last evening, and he was going to leave back to his fort by Caldea the day after. So, that gives him about two weeks to get back to the fort, when it is easily a two day trek."

"Good, now, I want you and Aileana to spy on the fight. Don't do anything stupid, I don't want either of you to die. But I also want you to keep their morale up. Don't let them know that they are walking to their deaths. When you get to the fight, say that you are going into the woods for a sneak attack or something like that. They will fight harder if they think you are fighting with them."

"Yes, sir." Both Hogan and Aileana replied.

"Good. Report back to me when the battle is finished. If this hero is as good as I think he is, the battle will be very quick."

* * *

"Ah, Finally!" Ike exclaimed.

It was about midday as the mercenaries noticed a familiar fort appeared in the distance. After four days of walking and sleeping on the hard ground, the mercenaries finally made it back. The castle was nice and all, but nothing matches the feeling of returning to the place you call home. To Ike, there was no more welcoming sight in all of Tellius.

It was just as they had left it, except for the thin layer of dust that had settled on the floor and furniture. The Greil Mercenaries felt themselves whisked away to the past, back to a time before Ashnard, before the war. Even Mia, who had never seen the place, and Lethe and Ranulf, who were stopping by on their way back to Gallia, felt a certain at ease there.

Much of the rest of that day was spent by unpacking. Unsurprisingly, the fort was not big enough to accommodate all the people. Once Ike had finished unpacking in the commander's room, he addressed the situation to the two of his Laguz guests.

"Well, sorry guys." Ike began. "But we only have one spare bedroom left after we gave one to Mia. So, unless you two lovebirds want to sleep together, I have a spare bed in my room." Ike grinned.

Ranulf smirked at Lethe. "Same bed? Sounds good. How does that sound to you, sweetheart?"

Lethe was obviously not in the mood for jokes. "Shut up! Both of you! You don't know what you're talking about!" she snapped.

"Whoa, lighten up, Lethe." Ike said.

"Yeah Lethe, it's a joke. And since you need your privacy, I think I'll room with Ike." Ranulf said.

"Oh, and I don't need privacy? I see how it is, Ranulf…" Ike smirked. "Well, I'll let you two get comfortable. Oscar's serving dinner soon, so come down as soon as you're ready, alright?"

Ranulf nodded, and then shut the door behind him.

"You need to stop doing that, Lethe." He said.

"Me? He was the one who suggested that I would want to sleep with you."

"That's not what I mean. Why is it that you continue to push him away?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, Lethe. Don't think I haven't noticed you watching him quite a lot for the past couple of days."

"W-what?" stuttered a startled Lethe. "Y-you don't know what you're talking about!"

"You still haven't answered my question, Lethe."

"Alright, fine, I admit it. Happy?"

"No, I can't say that I'm very happy."

"Oh, come on! I admitted it, what more do you want?"

"I don't think you're giving me the full picture."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because half the time you're wearing your signature snarl on your face, and the rest of the time you are gazing at him with eyes full of wonder, as if you were one of those princesses we heard about in the fairy tales we heard when we were young. What's going on, Lethe?"

She sighed. "Alright, Ranulf, I'll tell you, but I swear, if you mention this to anybody…"

"Don't worry Lethe, I won't tell anybody."

"Well, here it goes. Sometimes, when I look at Ike, I just…I don't know…adore him for his tenacity, for his elegance and grace. But, at other times, I hate the jerk because he always has to outshine me, outshine everybody!"

"Lethe, do _not _ever say that! He is not a jerk; he is the complete opposite of that! He is kind and compassionate, and would never do anything to hurt anybody, much less you. He has feeling for you, Lethe, though I can't say how great. If you just give him a chance, I think you two will become good friends, maybe even more. Isn't that what you want?"

"I've had just about enough of this conversation, Ranulf. If you would kindly get out of my room, I have unpacking to do."

"Just remember what I said, Lethe." He said, opening the door to leave. "And come down to dinner soon. I have a surprise for you."

* * *

'_What is taking them so long? They should be down here by now.' _Ike thought. Dinner had been served half an hour ago, and everyone but Ranulf and Lethe had finished or are close to finishing their dinner. Ike had arrived late, and had a hardy appetite, so he was still there. So were Titania and Soren, who were discussing with Ike the future of the mercenaries.

"So, I have explored our potential employment opportunities, and we should have a job landed by next week." Soren began, but then added. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"Huh?" Ike said as he came back to reality. "Oh sorry, Soren, I was just thinking. So, a job, huh? Good, we don't have much money." But what Soren, along with everyone else excluding Boyd and Ranulf, didn't know was that he had made a fortune for winning the tournament. But he had something personal in mind with that money.

"Yeah, but no fighting or killing, so it's pretty low paying. Most of the nearby towns need rebuilding, and are coming to us for help. And…will you please listen to me!" Soren snapped.

"Oh, sorry Soren, but I have a lot on my mind right now. Let me go sort this out, we'll talk about this at another time, alright?"

"Wait, Ike!" Soren said as Ike left the room. He turned to Titania. "Where is he going? I didn't finish, and he didn't take in half of what I said anyway."

For an answer, Titania just pointed to the two seats right next to her, Lethe and Ranulf's designated seats.

'_Oh yeah, come to think of it, I haven't seen those two sub-humans either.' _Soren thought, sighing. No matter what Ike or anyone said, no matter how much everyone wanted him to change, Soren would always have harsh feelings towards the Laguz.

Meanwhile, Ike began walking down the hall towards the extra bedroom where Ike had left Lethe and Ranulf. Immediately, he noticed that door was closed.

'_Why would they want the door closed?' _Ike's first thought was that they were doing _it_, so Ike blushed and began walking away, wishing he hadn't been so curious. But then he heard voices, and curiosity once again overwhelmed Ike, and he pressed his ear up against the door. He heard Ranulf saying,

"…is kind and compassionate, and would never do anything to hurt anybody, much less you. He has feeling for you, Lethe, though I can't say how great. If you just give him a chance, I think you two will become good friends, maybe even more. Isn't that what you want?" Ike stopped listening right there.

'_Oh, so Lethe's having guy troubles!'_ Ike smirked as he began to walk back down to the dining room. _'And she's scared to tell him how she feels! That could be why she is so moody lately. I wonder who…"_

Ike stopped that train of thought, as he figured it would be some Laguz he had never seen before. So Ike once again sat down at his spot as commander on the dinner table.

"Well?" Titania asked.

"No luck. They had their door closed, and I didn't want to disturb." Which was half true, but he definitely did _not_ want Titania to know that he had spied on Lethe and Ranulf.

"Well, they'll be down eventually. Don't worry about it."

"Sorry again, Soren." Ike said. "I'll take the rest of that report now, if you'd like."

"Well, there's not much else." Soren replied. "We are running dangerously low on money, so we might have to cut back on our imports until we land a few jobs."

"Well, that's alright. We don't need much anyway."

"Yeah, almost everyone has enough weapons. We just need arrows for Shinon, some staves for Rhys, and I may need some tomes soon. As for food, I suggest we hunt, at least till we get an adequate supply of gold."

"I'll go." Ike replied. "I need to test out my sword anyway." Ike's injuries were healing much quicker than Rhys had predicted. So quick, that he was able to walk without a crutch now. A little shaky, but he got around just fine. His left arm was a different story. Rhys has said that a shattered bone is nasty business, and only will heal if set absolutely right. Nonetheless, Ike wanted to try out his swordplay. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to wield Ragnell for now, it being a heavy two-hander.

"Well, that's good, but I think that hunting should be two man job." Soren said.

"That's alright." Ike replied. "I'll check for volunteers tomorrow at breakfast."

"Well, that about wraps up the report." Soren said.

And at that moment, Lethe and Ranulf appeared in the doorway. "Hey guys, sorry we're late." Ranulf said, grinning. "Any food left? I'm starving."

"Yeah, tons." Titania replied. "Help yourself."

As Lethe and Ranulf sat and began eating, Ike asked, "So where have you been?"

Ranulf had been waiting for him to ask that, and replied. "We have been getting ourselves familiar with the place."

Ike knew this was a lie, but he decided to humor him. "Why would you want to get familiar? You're only here till the morning."

"Ah, but there's been a change of plans." Ranulf said, that clearly being the response he wanted from Ike. Ike looked at Lethe, and her face looked just as confused as his face must have been. Ranulf smirked. "We're going to stay here another week or two. That is, if you can bear to have us stay?"

"Whoa, seriously? Awesome! But why?" Ike grinned.

"Well, after this, we are probably not going to see much of each other, so might as well make it last, right?"

"Damn right! I like the way you think, Ranulf."

"Oh, boy." Titania sighed. "This is going to be a long couple of weeks…"

* * *

The next morning, Ike and Ranulf both woke up bright and early. If fact, they were the first ones down to breakfast, apart from Oscar, who had to cook.

"So, Ike, what do you have planned?"

"Well, I told Soren that I'd do hunting duty, since we're running low on food and money. I wanted to practice with my sword anyway, so everything worked out. Which reminds me, Soren said that he wanted two people hunting. So do you want to come with me?"

"Well, I don't know. I think I have something else in mind…" Ranulf said, sarcastically. "Of course I want to go with you, you twit! I'm staying here for a couple of weeks to hang out with you, remember?"

"Ok, ok, jeez, Ranulf, what's gotten into you?"

"Shut up and go get ready you…" Ranulf muttered, pointing at Ike. Smiling, Ike thought it was probably better if he did as he was told, for now.

So Ike went to his room, changed into his day clothes, strapped on the scabbard containing Ragnell, and left.

He found a very impatient Ranulf waiting for him back in the dining room. "What took you so long?" Ranulf asked.

"What? I thought I got ready pretty quick!"

"Beorc…" Ranulf muttered, leading the way out of the fort, with Ike on his right on his tail.

"So, what's the plan?" Ike asked eagerly as soon as the duo made it to the outskirts of the nearby woods.

"Hold on, let me find a track." Ranulf answered. No sooner had Ranulf finished talking that he shifted into his cat form. The cat Ranulf sniffed here and there, searching for any sign of a nearby animal.

By midday, Ranulf had come by three deer through the tracks that he found; all of which ran away because of Ike in some way or another.

"Goddesses!" Ike exclaimed when the last one darted at the sound of Ike's foot crackling on some leaves. "Hunting is much harder than I thought."

"Mate," Ranulf said, reverting to his human form, and a grin on his face. "It's not just you. Beorc as a whole are too noisy."

"Damn! And I just wanted to see how my swordplay was coming along. I haven't gotten to spar with anybody in forever."

"There are always the dummies. You could train on them." Ranulf suggested.

"I know, but I want something alive. And where I don't have to hold back, as in a spar."

"Well, I can't help much with that predicament, except with one suggestion. You _could_ go pick a fight in a local tavern. Then you'd be fighting a live person and you wouldn't have to hold back. Just make sure you find a good fighter." He says, grinning. "Just kidding!" He added when he saw serious consideration of Ike's face.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He sighed, as if in great deliberation. "Titania would kill me if I did something like that."

"And you'd be put in jail."

"Good point. But…" He added with smirk.

"What are you thinking, Ike?" Ranulf asks cautiously.

"I could tell everyone that you made me do. Then I wouldn't have to go to jail!"

"Oh, yeah, good plan, blame the Laguz."

"Hey, but you must admit, it would work, given the type of people who live around here."

Ranulf sighed. "Yeah, you're right. The Laguz-haters who live around these parts would believe you in an instant. But you wouldn't do that to your friend, would you?"

"Never."

"See?"

"Well, even though I'm no good at hunting, the fact remains that we need food. I'll let you go find those deer that I scared off."

"Oh? And what are you going to do?"

Ike feigned a yawn. "I'm going back to the fort for a nap."

"No fair!" Ranulf complained. "I need my cat naps, too!"

"Too bad. Go get me some food so I can be fed when I wake up."

"You won't hear the last of this, Ike." Ranulf grumbled, switching back into his Laguz form and running off in a direction which the last of the deer had run.

Ike just smirked and turned to return to the fort. When he got back, he noticed that almost everybody was now in the dining room, eating lunch.

"Hey guys," Ike said, sitting down at his place at the head of the table. "I just realized that I'm no good at hunting. Imagine that?"

"What?" Soren said with a touch of anger in his voice. "You've been out there all this time and you haven't gotten any food? But Ike, we are severely close to running out!"

"Relax, Soren," Ike said, loading his plate with food from the table. "Ranulf is still out there, and he is a great hunter. I'm sure he will bring in all the food that Oscar can cook. By the way, it's delish, as usual, Oscar."

Smiling, Oscar nods his thanks and Ike proceeds to stuff as much as he can into his mouth without cutting off air supply. Very quickly, he begins to feel stuffed.

As soon as Ike had stopped eating, Soren asked, "So, did you get to test out your blade?"

"I thought I just said that I am a horrible hunter, Soren."

"So, if you haven't even been able to do that, what have you been doing all day?" Boyd asked.

"Well, basically, I was scaring off any animal that we got remotely close to catching. It was pretty funny, actually, to see Ranulf's face each time one got away. Priceless…"

"Oh, you liked that, did you? I personally did not think it was funny at all." Said a new voice that had just entered the scene.

"Well, yeah, it was pretty much hilarious. Why don't you show everyone here what it looked like?" Ike says grinning.

Ranulf grinned, but ignored the suggestion. "Caught three deer for you, Oscar," He said then proceeded down the hall and into his and Ike's room, closing the door.

"Hmm, he did say something about a cat nap before I left..." Ike said to no one in particular.

One by one, the mercenaries finished their lunch and went back to their respective duties. Ike remained behind, casually chatting with his friends. Once he saw Boyd get up and leave, he made his move. Excusing himself from the table, Ike hurried to catch up with his friend.

When Ike catches up to Boyd, he spins him around by tugging on his shoulder and says in a hushed voice, "So?"

"Ike?" Boyd says, confused. "What wrong? 'So' what?"

"It's in three days. What are we going to do?"

Boyd still looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Mist's birthday!"

"Oh, yeah, well, I don't know. I was just going to say, 'Happy Birthday' and have that be the end of it."

"Oh, no, no, she's turning eighteen! It needs to be special!"

"Well, I'm afraid I have no idea what you have in mind."

"Remind me never to trust you with planning anything. Ever. No exceptions." Ike says, grinning.

"If I remember, I will remind you."

"You're useless, you know that?"

"My girlfriend doesn't think so." Boyd says, acting hurt.

"Yeah, and I always thought my sister had bad tastes." Ike teases.

"Whatever. Your words don't hurt me!"

"Shut up. Look, I'm going into town to look for a present for Mist, and you are coming with me."

"Aw, man, do I have to?"

"Well, since you stole my sister from me, I now have no idea what she would want. Now go get ready."

"Look, you can't go wrong when it comes to Mist. She's like any other girl. Buy anything that has significant monetary value and she'll love it; I'd know, trust me."

"Yeah, I bet your money is the only reason why she likes you, anyway…" Ike muttered.

"Hey!"

"Well, all the same, I still want you there when I pick out a gift."

"You are such a bore." Boyd pouted.

"The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back."

Boyd, overjoyed at the notion that he may get back quicker, promptly runs to his room. Ike hoped that Boyd had the wit not to say anything to Mist.

Sighing, Ike too went to his room, to grab a few things. He found a groggy Ranulf sitting on the side of his bed, strong evidence pointing to the conclusion that he had just woken up from a 'cat nap'.

"Hey there, Ranulf, refreshed now?"

Ike didn't really get an answer, just a few indistinguishable words Ranulf said through a yawn.

"Well, I don't know if that was a yes or a no but Boyd and I are about to leave the fort for a couple of hours. I need to pick a birthday gift for Mist. Want to come with?"

Ranulf sighed. "Ike, we had this discussion this morning…"

"So, that's a yes?"

"Yes!"

"Well, get up then! Boyd is waiting on us."

Ike and Ranulf soon made their way down to the dining room, where they caught up with Boyd. After Ike notified Soren and Titania that they would be gone for a couple hours, the trio began what was to be another little adventure.

The trip to the nearby city was but a twenty minute walk from the fort, but that wasn't the adventure. This particular city is noted for the great variety and enormous size of its shops. Ike had no idea where to start looking for Mist's gift.

"Any suggestions?" Ike asked Boyd when they made it to the city.

"Well, Mist likes pretty, shiny things."

"Oh, yeah, thanks Boyd. So, Mist likes 'pretty, shiny things,' huh? I guess that would be the jewelry store."

"Precisely!" Boyd says, grinning.

The jewelry shop was perhaps the biggest shop in town, and there was definitely more people in it than in any other shop. There were all sorts of rings, bracelets, necklaces, tiaras there. Anything that might remotely be called jewelry could be found there. They had a great variety of makes, materials, shapes, sizes, stones, and other customizables.

Ike, nor Boyd after shamefully admitting it, knew what Mist's favorite piece of jewelry was. Boyd did say that she liked sapphires the most, but Ike decided to pass on the jewelry.

The three moved on the clothes store, which is also a very big attraction. Everything from a peasant's get-up to a Lord's robe could be found inside this store.

"Hey Ike," Ranulf said, grinning. "What about this one?" He signaled to something nearby.

Ike instantly began laughing. Laughing so hard he was nearly crying. Once he regained his composure, he said, grinning. "I don't know. Boyd, do you think she will like it?"

Curious, Boyd looks at what he is pointing at. It was a very suggestive women's red lingerie nightgown. On the tag, it says, 'For your lover.'

Boyd instantly turns beat red. "Jerks." He says, grinning.

"Hmm, I don't think it would be considered a gift for her though." Ike pointed out, with a face that was struggling to look serious.

"Why's that?" Ranulf asked, taken aback.

"Because Boyd would get more of a kick out of it than Mist would."

Both Ike and Ranulf laugh out hysterically at this, and Boyd just stalked off to the other side of the store, muttering "Idiots" under his breath.

Ike and Ranulf continued to laugh out for quite some time. It got to the point where one of the store clerks had to come and threaten to kick them out if they didn't settle down. Twice.

Soon enough, though, the two had regained their composure. Ike decided thereafter that clothes were not the optimal gift for his sister as well, and with no more leads, they decided to just wander around from store to store for inspiration.

It was after they had been walking around and in some of the store that Ike noticed a very interesting store. It was called "Magic Emporium" and, as expected, it was a magic store. It was small, out of the way, and almost completely empty, but Ike thought it was pretty cool.

"Can I help you with anything?" asked a young clerk when the three walked into the store.

"No thanks, just browsing." Ike replied.

"Call if you need anything." And the clerk left to help other shoppers.

The shop was loaded with clever items. Not only did they have tomes for mages, they also had other items which Ike had never seen before. Brooms and rugs that claimed to be able to fly a short distance were advertised heavily of the walls. Wands of all varieties littered the countertops. They even dedicated an entire corner of the shop to magical puns and gags.

It was here that Ike found an unlikely gift for his little sister. The more valuable items were held under the glass counters at the middle of the store, and here Ike found a pair of seemingly insignificant rock necklaces. But when Ike asked the clerk about them, he found out that they were a pair of two way communicating rocks.

"When you talk into one of these," The clerk had said when Ike asked about it. "The wearer of the other will be able to hear every word you are saying, no matter where either of you are. It is immensely valuable and very rare."

"Wow, cool! How much do you want for it?"

"Well, for you, let's say, 2500 gold?"

"It's a deal! I'll also take three of those swords." Ike said, pointing at the swords hanging in the magical pun section of the store.

"Ah, good choice, sir. You're going to love the look the user's face, I guarantee it."

After Ike had paid for everything, he beckoned for Ranulf and Boyd and the three were on their way.

"So?" Boyd asked grinning as the trio headed out onto the path back to the fort. It was still light out, and they would definitely make it back before dinner. "What did you get for her? Don't tell me it's those swords, because I don't think she will like those."

"No, no, it's not them, they are for my own personal pleasure. No, my gift for Mist is these." Ike said, reaching into his pocket and showing him a pair of rock necklaces.

"Not very stylish, are you?" Ranulf said, smirking.

"It's not what they look like but what they do. These are very valuable. The wearer of one will be able to communicate to the other through these stones. I got it more for me than for her, so that I can help her, if she ever is in danger."

"Wow, good idea!" Boyd said, impressed. "But, Ashnard is dead, Ike. We are in no danger."

Ike shrugged. "You can never be too safe."


	4. Chapter 4

**Sometimes I even surprise myself. This chapter just seemed to come to me. Well, hope you like the update, and this time for real, Happy Holidays.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The next two mornings were more of the same for Ike. Oscar and Soren had asked, since Ranulf was so efficient at hunting, for Ranulf to do the hunting every morning. Ranulf, a little annoyed, agreed begrudgingly, but Ike had offered to tag along, to cheer him up.

Ike was in, no way, there to help Ranulf. In fact, sometimes he would run and scare off Ranulf's prey, causing Ranulf to go berserk. But, overall, Ranulf enjoyed Ike' company, because during the down time, when Ranulf was getting tired or just feeling lonely, Ike would be there, chatting it up.

Ike and Boyd had already, discreetly of course, talked with Soren of the matter of Mist's birthday. He had gotten a little surprise party organized.

"We just need someone to lead Mist away from the fort for a little bit while the rest of us set up." Soren said after confiding in Ike and Boyd the overall scope of what was to happen.

"I'll do it." Ike said.

"Now wait a minute! She's my fiancée; I think I should do it." Boyd interjected.

"Please, Boyd, there is something I need to tell her, and now would be the perfect time."

"Alright, you can do it." Boyd sighed.

"Thanks, Boyd; I promise, after this, I will do nothing to keep her from you."

"Alright, Ike, about midday tomorrow, take her somewhere, anywhere, and keep her out of sight of the fort for about two hours or so." Soren explained.

"Can do."

* * *

Ike woke up bright and early the day of Mist's birthday with a huge smile on his face. Judging by the lack of sunshine outside his window, Ike assumed that it was very early, and thus, Mist would not be up yet.

That was alright, but Ike was very anxious to say "Happy Birthday" to his sister. Eighteen was a big year for her. It is the year that girls finally get recognized within society. She would finally have rights and freedoms within an urban area, something she used to only have at the rural fort. Also, this was the year that, legally, she could be wed. And he knew that she and Boyd were looking forward to that.

As Ike adjusted to the light, or rather lack of, he noticed that Ranulf had already gotten up and left. That was odd; while he usually was up before Ike, he also usually waited for Ike to get up so that they could go down to breakfast together.

Curious, Ike made his way down to the dining room to grab an early breakfast. He had woken up so early that Oscar had not finished with breakfast yet. Seeing as he had nothing else to do, he decided to go into the kitchen and lend a hand to his friend.

"Hey Oscar." Ike said, walking into the kitchen.

"What?" Oscar said, spinning around to face Ike, clearly startled. "Ike? Don't do that, you shocked me. What are you doing up so early?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just so eager for today that I couldn't sleep."

"But," Oscar said, returning to his preparation of breakfast. "Today's your sister's birthday. Why are you so anxious?"

"I'm just so happy for her, you know? She deserves everything in the world, and today she will finally get a fraction of what she is owed."

Oscar smiled, looking up at Ike from over his kitchen work. "I've never seen such support of your sister before, Ike."

"What do you mean?"

"I think that Ashnard changed you for the better in ways more than one."

"I'm still not following."

"Remember? Before Ashnard, you weren't exactly mean to your sister, but you weren't exactly nice to Mist either."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I know what you are talking about."

"You used to tease her quite often."

"You know, in retrospect, I guess I was a jerk to her back then. But I don't know why. I know I felt the same way, I just…"

"Acted differently?" Oscar asked, trying to complete the sentence.

"Yeah."

"That's how Ashnard changed you, Ike. Before he destroyed your and our lives, you wanted to fit in with me and Boyd and the rest of us. So, you did what we did, which was, I am ashamed to admit, pick on Mist and Rolf. But now, you act from your heart. You do what you believe is right; a very noble quality and one I envy in you."

Ike was left speechless. Thinking about it, everything Oscar had just said was true, Ike had just never thought about it like that before.

"Wow." Ike said simply. "You had me read like a book, Oscar."

Oscar smiled. "Don't ever lose sight of who you are, Ike. You are a great person, and I am proud to call you commander of this mercenary group."

"Thanks, Oscar." Ike said truthfully. "But Oscar, you need not envy me for that quality, because I know that you possess it as well."

"Yeah? I'm not so sure."

"But you must have it. How else could you have been so honest and truthful to me just now?"

"But-"

"You're a better person than you give credit for, Oscar."

"But, I just, I don't know. Sometimes, when Boyd or Rolf makes a comment I disagree with or think is stupid, I almost crack inside. I feel…it makes me think that…"

Ike interrupted. "But Oscar, that's just it. You never actually come out and say something like that. I have never seen you hurt either of your brother's feelings."

"But-"

"Oscar, do you really think that I have never thought something like that about Mist?"

"You have?" Oscar asked, shocked.

"Of course I keep it on the inside as well, but it happens to me as well. Like I said, Oscar, you are a good person as well. Don't ever forget that."

"Thanks, Ike. That makes me feel much better."

"Don't mention it." Ike said, smiling. "Hey, you wouldn't have happened to see Ranulf, have you? He was gone when I woke up."

"Yeah, he came in here and told me that he was off to hunt."

"Hmm, strange. Why would he want to hunt so early? Weird. When was it that he was down here?"

"It was early. I had just gotten down here myself when he showed up."

"And we all know what kind of early bird you are." Ike teased.

"Yep, the _really_ early bird." Oscar said grinning.

"You got that right." Ike said smirking. "Well, no use in me trying to catch up to him now. He is probably almost done as it is. So, need a hand down here?"

"Hey," Oscar said, grinning. "There's always room for one more in the kitchen."

* * *

Ike felt a sense of accomplishment as he placed food prepared by him onto the dining room table to be eaten by his friends. Never before had Ike made food, real food that is, and he actually thought it was pretty good. Oscar even said that it was good. He didn't get to do any of the heavy lifting, only spice sprinkling and such, but still, it was something to be proud of.

Ranulf made it back to the fort soon. The sun was still just peaking over the horizon when he walked into the dining room and demanded food.

"Hungry?" Ike asked, sitting down next to Ranulf at the dining table.

Ranulf looked up from his food long enough to nod at Ike, then got right back to eating.

Ike gave him the respect of silence while he ate, but as soon as he put down his fork, he was right on him. "So, where were you this morning?" Ike asked.

"Sorry, Ike, but Soren told me he wanted me done with hunting early this morning."

"But that doesn't mean that you can't wake me. Can you imagine it? Hunting in the dark with Ranulf? Think of all the chaos I could cause!"

"Sorry, Ike, but Soren specifically said no _distractions_." Ranulf said, smirking.

"Oh, that's all I am to you, huh? A distraction?"

"When I'm trying to hunt, you can be a real pain, I hope you know that."

"I'm hurt, Ranulf." Ike said, acting hurt.

"Hey, don't blame this on me, Ike! Soren said he wanted the hunting out of the way early because he said he needed me for something. He also said he needed you to distract Mist, something you are obviously good at."

"Hmm, yeah, I guess that is a good point. It wouldn't be any good if I was distracting you instead of pulling Mist away from the fort."

"Oh, I see." Ranulf said grinning. "You call it "distracting" when you are with me, but you don't when you are with Mist."

"Well, she is my sister. She deserves preferential treatment over you." Ike said smirking.

"I'm done here." Ranulf said, acting hurt. "You are always so mean to me."

"Oh, suck it up, you wuss." Ike said grinning.

"Besides, Soren said he needed to see me after I was done hunting, and that was quite a while ago."

As Ranulf vanished down the hall, Ike realized how tired he really was. Going down the opposite hall toward his room, Ike decided to see if he could catch some shut eye before it was time to, as Ranulf would say, distract Mist.

* * *

"Ike, wake up!"

Ike woke up to the yells and shouts of a persistent little bugger. Not wanting to get up, he attempted to swat away the hand the was constantly poking his side, but that just made whoever it was poke harder and more frequently.

Yawning, Ike finally got and sat on the side of the bed and stretched. When he finally opened his eyes, he realized that it was Soren who was attempting with so much effort to wake him up.

"Hey there, Soren!" Ike said groggily.

"You are a very heavy sleeper, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

"You almost missed it Ike! After I told you how important this was, you almost slept through it! Lucky for you, though, it is not quite lunch time. Why don't you get down to the dining room, grab some lunch, and then get Mist out of here."

"Wow, it's that late already?"

"Yep." Soren said simply. "Can I trust you to this time?"

"You have my word, Soren." Ike said truthfully. Nodding, Soren left the room. After grabbing his things, Ike too left.

Luckily, Ike found that Mist was the only one down in the dining room when he got down there. This was unexpected, though, as she rarely left Boyd's side nowadays.

She was facing away from him and totally unaware that anybody had entered the room, so he decided to have some fun with her. Walking up from behind her, he covered her eyes with hands and said, "Guess who?"

Laughing, Mist struggled to get his hands off her eyes. When his hands remained, she gave up and said playfully, "Stop it Ike!"

Ike released his grip and took a seat next to her. "How did you know it was me?" he asked, grinning.

"Call it, a sister's instinct? I always know when my brother is up to no good."

Grabbing himself a plate of food, Ike changed the tone to a very serious one by saying, "Happy Birthday, Mist."

"Ike!" She said, almost squealing. "You remembered!"

"Of course I remembered, Mist. I am your brother, how could I forget?"

"After Boyd, I wasn't so sure…"

"Why? What happened?"

"When we woke up this morning, I asked him innocently if there was something special about today. He just said that he was tired and couldn't think. So he went back to bed." Said Mist, who seemed deeply saddened.

"Don't worry, Mist, I'm sure he's got something special in mind for you."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Mist, he didn't tell me a word, which means he wants to make it a surprise. Don't worry, he didn't forget you. He may be slightly forgetful, but he wouldn't forget something that important."

"Well, you remembered," she said smiling and grabbing his hand that wasn't currently encumbered with a fork. "And that is enough for me."

"No, that isn't enough, Mist, I still haven't given you my present yet."

"You got me a present?" Asked a very giddy Mist. "Aw, Ike, you didn't need to get me anything." Something in her tone told Ike otherwise. "What is it?"

"You'll see, soon enough. Let me finish eating then I'll show you, alright?"

"Aww, but that'll take too long." Mist pouted. "Why do you have to eat so much?"

"Well, you luck out today, Mist. I had a pretty big breakfast, and I'm not that hungry right now. In fact," Ike said, putting his fork down and leaning back in his chair. "I'm done now."

"Yay! Can you give me my gift now, please?"

"Relax. First I need to get some stuff out of my room, then how about I show you?"

"Alright!"

Ike smiled. "Be right back." He said and left, Mist assumed, to his room. But in reality, Ike sought out Soren.

He found him in his room. "Got her. See you in about two hours." He whispered in his ear. Soren put his book down and nodded in confirmation.

Ike returned to Mist a few minutes after he left. "Ready?" He asked.

Nodding excitedly, she ran to keep up with Ike, who was heading out the door to the outside. Confused, she asked, "Ike, where are we going?"

Smiling, Ike said, "You'll see." He knew that the anticipation was getting to her.

Ike led her a ways, pretty deep into the forest. He knew they were getting close. He had been here many time before; it was a place of refuge only he knew. That was about to change.

"Well, Mist, I know this isn't much, but it is something I have to show you." When he finished talking, he pulled back a final branch blocking Mist's vision, revealing a majestic clearing.

Mist looked about her in awe. It was a small clearing, but nothing short of breathtaking. In the middle, there was a small waterfall, dumping water from a small river into a magnificent lake. The whole place was so serene that the animals were stubborn to move. Two deer refused to stop drinking water from the lake and move even when the brother and sister sat down next to each other on a small ledge next to the waterfall.

"It's so beautiful." Mist sighed.

"I know. Father and I used to come here to escape the world." Ike didn't normally talk about his father, not since what happened. But his father was the reason that Ike even knew about this place.

"Father knew about this place?"

"Yeah, he is the one who first showed it to me, the day I became a mercenary. I'm sorry Mist, that you never saw this place sooner. Father had intended to show it to you when you turned sixteen, but…" Ike trailed off.

"You don't need to blame yourself, Ike, I'm just glad that you showed it to me at all."

"It's so awe-inspiring, don't you think? Father said he always used to come here after any fighting. He said that he always used to feel like he could take on the world after he washed himself in that lake. I never got to try it because I never really got a chance to, what with us running off a couple of weeks later."

"I feel protected from the world when I come here."

"Well, that's good, at least I fulfilled one of father's dying wishes."

"What do you mean?"

"Right before father died, he told me to do two things. He told me not to go pick a fight with the Black Knight and to protect you from harm. Since I didn't do the first, I feel obligated to do the second."

"Ike, you are not obligated to do anything. But I am glad that you choose to protect me. I feel special when I am with you. Thank you, Ike." She said, smiling a genuine smile.

"You deserve to feel special, Mist. You mean so much to me, I hope you know that. Without you, and all my friends, I would lose sight of what I am fighting for. So thank you, Mist."

"You are the best big brother in the entire world." She said, turning her body so that she was laying her back against his shoulder. "I don't ever want to leave this spot."

"Me either, Mist, but we should probably be going back in soon." Judging by the sun and the length of the shadows, Ike figured that about an hour to an hour and a half had passed. "A little bit longer, I suppose."

In all that time, the two deer remained drinking water or nibbling on some grass or just staring at their two uninvited guests.

* * *

"Well, here we are. This is their fort." Hogan said. He, Aileana, Lenard, and the twenty-sixth division had arrived to the woods just outside the fort two days ahead of schedule, but the fort seemed to be occupied, so they didn't beat the hero here. It was a little after daybreak, and there was a nice, cool breeze that made up for the heat. And the shade from the trees of the forest helped as well.

All of the sudden, two deer darted past the group. Aileana looked cautiously in the direction that they had scampered from.

"Hogan, I hear something." Aileana whispered. The two generals were walking ahead of the other fifty-one men, so only Hogan heard her.

"Halt." He ordered the men. He knew that Aileana's senses were more acute than his own, and he decided to believe her.

"Go check it out." He whispered back.

Aileana stalked her way quickly through the forest. Hogan was still amazed at the way she could travel quickly, but also as silent as the night, no matter how many times he saw her do it. When she returned, Hogan noticed she looked as giddy as a young girl.

"It's him!" she whispered excitedly. "It's the hero!"

"Are you sure?" He asked, a little doubtful.

"Blue hair, about my height, green bandana?"

"That's him alright. Ok, I'll take twenty men and Lenard to face the Hero. You take the other thirty and attack the fort, alright?"

* * *

"Where is Ike? It has been almost two and a half hours and I'm starting to get a little worried." Soren said.

"Don't worry, Soren." Titania stated. "Ike is fine. Just running a little late." She added with a touch of disapprovement.

All of a sudden, armed soldiers appeared in the distance. And they were marching right for the fort and its unfortunate residents.

Chaos ensued within the group, who had been waiting outside to yell "Surprise!" when Mist returned. Everyone was running into the fort to grab their weapons, while silently wondering why anybody would be attacking them now. Everyone but Ranulf and Lethe, who decided not to wait and instead go right after the enemy. So the two changed into their Laguz form and ran at the charging army.

The army was very close to the fort now, and they had moved into a box formation. She couldn't tell, but Lethe predicted they had about twenty-five men. And with only nine fighters and a healers, they were outnumbered about three to one.

Lethe beat Ranulf as the first one to reach the enemy. She transformed into her cat form and lunged at one of the soldiers. Her fangs connected with his flesh and Lethe realized that none of the soldiers looked all that experienced. Soon, the others who made it to the fight realized the same thing. All in all, Lethe managed to kill seven of them before having to revert back to her human form. The battle was all but won by then.

Soren sent the last soldier to his death with one of his powerful wind spells and then, all was silent once more.

"What was that all about?" Ranulf asked. "None of those soldiers were trained." But as soon as those words left his mouth, a scream rang through the air.

"Ike." Ranulf mouthed, and began running in the direction the scream came from. The others followed suit.

* * *

"So those deer really are scared of us." Ike said as he watched the two disappear in the distance, under the shade of the forest.

"Well, of course they did." Mist said matter-of-factly. "With how close you got to them, they had every right to run off. What did you expect to accomplish with that?"

"Well, they were standing there, watching us for the entire time we were sitting there on the ledge, so I wanted to see if they would let me pet them. I guess not."

"Apparently."

"Well, you ready to go? Our friends are probably getting worried."

"Yep." Mist said, getting up from where she sat on the ledge and walking to where Ike stood after having scared off the deer. "Let's go."

And so, the two siblings made their way back to the fort. But about half way back to the fort, Ike felt something wrong.

"Mist, go hide behind that bush." Ike commanded, signaling to a nearby bush.

"What?" Mist asked, confused. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, but something feels…wrong here. I'm going to go check it out. I want you to remain unseen, alright?"

"But-"

"Mist, I just got done saying this. I am going to protect you no matter what."

"Alright, Ike."

"Thank you, Mist. I'm just going to check the area." Ike said, looking around and absorbing the surroundings. It didn't take much to find what was bothering him though. In a small clearing to his immediate left was a small group of about twenty armed men.

Swearing under his breath and grabbing Ragnell from its sheath, Ike decided that it was about all he could do but confront them, as they were already about on top of him. His left arm was still healing and didn't have its full range of motion yet, but that was inconsequential. He would just have to wield Ragnell with one arm.

Bucking up his courage, Ike stepped out into the clearing and became visible to the quickly approaching army. Ike could tell right away that the army wasn't very well disciplined because everyone just stopped without order. Whoever the leader was obviously didn't care though. Mist, seeing everything from behind her bush, could only watch as one man confronted a group of armed soldiers.

"Hah! So you are the one they call, 'Ike, the Hero of Crimea' huh?" Said the one Ike assumed was the leader of this merry group. "Why walking out alone in the middle of the forest? Don't you know that the forest is full of danger?"

"If you are the danger of this forest, then I've got nothing to worry about."

"You'd better learn your place, hero." The leader said snidely. "We've got you outnumbered twenty one to one. Ah, but where are my manners. My name is Marshall Lenard, and I am commander of this twenty-sixth division."

"Well, seeing as you already know me, I don't think I'll introduce myself."

"Tch, manners, young one."

"Manner? I'll show you manners!" Ike said, getting into his battle stance. It was a little disoriented because he was wielding Ragnell as a one handed sword, but it was workable.

"Ew, is that a challenge? Alright, men attack!"

Soon, he was already surrounded by ten men. As he began striking, parrying, and dodging in all different directions, Ike realized two things. First, wielding Ragnell with one hand was actually easier for him and that these men were very inexperienced. Ike killed all of them with nothing more than a few scratches.

"Well, Well. It seems my General overestimated you. He thought twenty would be enough. But, no matter. He knew I would be able to take you down, even if my pathetic men can't." The marshall sneered.

"Why are you doing this? I'll cut you down like I did your men. What's the motive in that?"

"You know, hero," The marshall said, ignoring the question. "We've also got your friends surrounded at the moment. How does that make you feel?"

"Well, It doesn't really bother me, to tell you the truth. They probably finished your men faster than I did."

"I don't know. I've heard that the sub-humans can be easy kills for us normal people." The marshall sneered.

"Shut up!" The marshall had touched a nerve. "Leave them out of this. So, you're looking for a fight? Fine. I'll take you one with my bad hand tied behind my back."

"Confident, are we? Well, you are about to face the most fearsome opponent you have ever seen."

"Fearsome? Oh, come on, give me a break. My little sister is more fearsome than you." Which was the truth. If Mist ever got really mad, she could be very scary.

"We'll just see about that." He said, readying his spear.

Ike held his sword out in front of him and got into his fighting stance. The marshall attacked first, but he stabbed air as Ike had jumped out of the way. Ike then swung down for a counterattack, but the marshall raised his lance to parry it. The battle continued on like that, no one sustaining significant damage, until Ike saw his opening.

The marshall aimed for another stab, lost his footing, and stumbled forward. Ike jumped to the side and swung his sword down. But Ike soon realized he had made a mistake. Because the marshall was stumbling, his lance was off line, and Ike dodged into the lance. The lance plunged a few inches into Ike's gut, but that didn't stop him. He continued his sword down and it struck the marshall on the side of the neck, and it continued half way down his torso. The marshall was dead almost instantly.

Ike immediately let go of the sword, which had gotten stuck in the body, and fell to the ground and screamed in agony, clutching the left side of his gut.

"Oh Goddesses!" Mist shrieked, running over to him from behind her hiding spot behind the bush. "Ike, are you alright?"

Ike smirked. "Never better, Mist." He managed to gasp out. "Never better."

Seconds later, he was surrounded by his friends, who had heard Mist scream.

Ranulf grinned when he saw the extent of Ike's injury. "Hey Ike, I can see the ground if I look through this hole in you."

"Really?" Ike asked, believing him at first.

"No, I'm just kidding. It's only a couple inches deep, but it looks like Rhys is going to have to stitch it up for you."

But Ike did not catch all of that. He had passed out once more.

* * *

Ike awoke not even an hour later on his bed, surrounded by his caring friends. His side was dull with pain, but he could tell that Rhys had healed it somewhat, because all he could remember from before passing out was pain.

Ike looked at the scene around him. Everyone was either talking or resting on one of the few chairs in the room. Smirking, Ike decided to have some fun with them. Bracing himself because he knew it would hurt somewhat, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIST!"

Startled, everyone looked over at Ike in shock and worry. Innocently, Ike explained, "Oh, was the surprise called off? Oh sorry, guess I never got the message."

"What?" Mist said, shocked. "You planned a surprise? For me? Aw, you guys are the best!"

"Yep. Unfortunately, the way things turned out, we were attacked instead. Didn't see that coming." Ike replied grinning.

"And don't worry," Boyd added. "We will still give you our presents, I promise."

"But that will have to wait, sorry Mist. Did any of you find out anything about the attack?" he asked to no one in particular.

Soren answered. "No. You haven't been out that long. We've been in here with you the entire time."

Ike looked a little confused. "How long have I been out?"

"About half an hour." Mist answered.

"Oh, I thought I was out longer. Well, what are we waiting for? Did you bury the marshall yet?"

"No, we haven't buried anyone yet." Soren replied.

"Ok. Let's go check him out then. Don't worry about burying them yet; we'll do that tomorrow." When Ike made to get up, he felt a sharp pain in his gut, but it was bearable. Much duller than the pain he had first received it.

Everyone went off to search their own section of woods while Soren searched the marshall. While searching, Ike noticed a torn black flag. He didn't recognize it, but he figured Soren must, so he walked over to him.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"No." Soren replied. "At least, nothing of importance."

"Hey, Soren, what do you make of this?" Ike asked, handing over the flag. It was black with a red cross that divided the black into four equal areas.

"Oh goddesses, help us." Soren exclaimed after studying it for a bit. "Meeting, now, in the dining hall." He called out and began walking back towards the fort.

'_What could it be that distressed Soren so much?'_ Ike thought as he and the rest of the mercenaries began walking back to the fort.

* * *

"It seems that, after all that, we did underestimate him." Hogan said.

The commander and the three generals met once again in the dark, secluded room to discuss their plans. Hogan and Aileana had gotten back a lot sooner than Amaros had anticipated.

"How can he really be that good?" Amaros asked in frustration.

"I don't know sir, but he killed twenty men and Lenard with one hand in less than twenty minutes."

"One hand?"

Yes sir, he had his left arm behind his back the entire time. It looked like he had trouble moving it, so he wanted to keep it out of the way. He was also limping a little, but not too much. But he is a lot stronger than I thought when I first saw him."

"How so?"

"He was swinging around a huge two-handed sword with one hand like it was a twig."

"I must agree that we overestimated him sir." Aileana added. "Even his companions were fierce. They took down the rest of the army in less than half an hour and they were outnumbered three to one."

"Hmm, interesting. I think we will use the fifth and sixth divisions for this war" Amaros concluded. The fifth and sixth divisions were not only the biggest and strongest divisions in the army, but were also much more loyal to Amaros than to King Theo. Each division had about seventy thousand men, about double the amount of the next highest.

"Sorry sir, but don't you think that is not enough?" Hogan asked.

"The King won't allow this war unless his conditions are met, one of them being I have to use less than one hundred and fifty thousand men." Amaros said, grumpily.

"Could we sneak some over or something? Because I don't know if one hundred and fifty thousand will be enough…"

* * *

"Alright, Soren, what can you tell us about that flag." Ike asked.

Everyone had now arrived in the dining room, and they were all now looking at Soren for the answer. "That flag is the flag of the largest empire in the world, the empire of Zadonia. That empire owns every single bit of land across the sea east of here except for the kingdom of Dynastia. Those two have been at constant war, but neither has been able to take the other. To put how huge this empire is into perspective, they have more soldiers in the army than we have citizens in all of Crimea. There are about one million soldiers in their army and about five hundred thousand people live in Crimea. But these are one million fully-trained professionals, and all the provisional armies they have."

"But those we fought today weren't that tough." Boyd said. Shinon and Gatrie nodded in agreement.

"Boyd, haven't you been listening? That was one of their provisional armies. They didn't expect to win. They were testing us."

"But how will they know what we're capable of if everyone who witnessed it died?" Ike asked.

"They probably had someone spying on the fight and then reporting back to the commander."

"Clever. So, what do we do?"

"Well," Soren started. "We need to contact all the leaders of all the countries in Tellius. Ranulf, how long will it take for you to report to King Caineghis and back?"

"Two days, Three days tops." Ranulf replied.

"Ok, tell him that Zadonia is attacking, he will understand. Then ask him to call a Laguz meeting so he can tell the other Laguz nations."

"Can do."

"Titania, I need you to report to Elincia and show her the flag. She will know. Then ask her to tell Begnion and Daein.

"Right away." She replied.

"If you two could leave first thing tomorrow, that would be great. The rest of us wait till they get back."

"I know that now is probably not a good time; this news is quite dour." Ike began. "But since we are all here, I figured we should give our gifts to the birthday girl." He said, indicating Mist. "Here you go Mist." He saw her shocked face and said. "You thought that I wouldn't get you a real present as well? Mist, it is great and all, but I couldn't actually give it to you because it is not mine. I had to get you a real gift as well."

Everyone else was confused by the vagueness of Ike's monologue, but Mist knew what he was talking about. She looked at the rock necklace he gave he with great interest.

"Before you say anything, I did not get it because I thought it was fashionable. Ranulf has already indicated to me that it is very unfashionable." Ike said grinning. "But that rock it special. I have a second one here with me. It has some special magic on it so that now, I can talk to you though it, anywhere, anytime."

"Wow, Ike!" Mist exclaimed. "Thank you. But don't you think that you went overboard with the gifts?"

"I meant what I said to you and to father, Mist. I am going to protect you with my life." He extended his arms out wide. "I am going to protect my mercenaries with my life."

Little did Ike know that Lethe was sitting near the back of the group of people, and she was almost in tears after what he said. "Ike…" she sobbed to herself so that no one else heard her. "I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again, my loyal readers! Sorry, I would have updated sooner, but I got guitar hero for christmas, and I must confess that a majority of my free time has gone to that instead of my story. I hope you can forgive me. =( Anyway, here you go. Chapter 5 is up.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"I have bad news commander." General Hogan said, his voice full of shame.

Preparations were well on their way and Zadonia's attack force was getting close to being ready to deploy. They were maybe a week at most from deployment and Amaros was satisfied with the quickness with which his army had chosen to prepare. But on this particular day, Amaros was far from satisfied.

"Great, more bad news! What is it now?" The commander said, obviously very angry and frustrated.

Hogan abandoned his question due to his curiosity as to what else the commander could be mad about. "What do you mean? What else has happened?"

"That damn king is going to put us in a stranglehold if he doesn't stop restricting us! Now, he wants us to deploy only up to one hundred thousand men!"

"No way!" Hogan replied outraged. "But, sir, I am sorry but there is no way we can win with those kinds of numbers, even with how experienced our soldiers are."

"I know, I know. I don't plan on changing a thing. But we are going to have to get to know each other _really_ well, because we are going to deploy one hundred and fifty thousand troops in the amount ships that would hold only one hundred. Needless to say, it is going to be cramped. But that is not all. The king has ordered a cut off of our invasion if we do not have complete control within a year."

"That's just great." Hogan said sarcastically. "You do realize that this will probably be one of the greatest opponents that we have ever declared war on, right?"

"It's not my fault!" Amaros growled. "The things I would change if I were king…"

"Well, sir, after all that, I'm sure you are not going to like what I have to tell you."

"Well, go ahead. What is it?" Amaros said, expectantly.

"Our rat has left us."

"That's alright. We have so many spies over there that it won't matter in the slightest."

"No, no, I mean _the_ rat."

"You don't mean-"

"The only one that has been able to get on speaking terms with the hero, yes. She has left us."

"Damn it! What happened?"

"I don't know. She just stopped showing up to the information relays after our little battle. And I dare not send anybody to find her. She has been living with the hero and is one of his friends. She's too close and anybody we send to find her will most likely either be held captive or killed."

"You don't suppose that she is doing this of her own accord, do you? You don't think she will tell the hero everything?"

"That is exactly what I think happened. We should prepare for the worst, commander."

"What does she know?"

"Not much, just a vague idea as to how many men are being deployed and when we plan to depart."

"Good."

"So, what do we do now?" Hogan questioned.

"Obviously, we move on as scheduled. We can't do anything about it now and waiting will only cut into our one year time limit. As for trying to get information from within, it doesn't really matter too much anymore. Once the fighting started, we couldn't trust what she told us anyway. There would always be the risk that the hero would find out."

"But what about the fact that she knows our plans?"

"So what? They may know our plans, but I'd like to see them stop us."

"But sir, knowledge may be the difference between winning and losing this war. We have to keep them guessing, keep them in the dark so that we have the upper hand. Remember our last battle with Dynastia?"

Ohhh, yeah. Amaros remembered that skirmish vividly. It was ultimately his fall from power in Zadonia from a political standpoint. It was a great mistake on his part that caused the people to turn against him and hate him. It was the day that Amaros learned that knowledge really is key when it comes to war.

It was a secret midnight duel between Amaros and the Dynastian commander that caused Dyanstia to beat Zadonia and stay in existence as a rebellious nation. The duel was clearly not going Amaros' way, and soon he was getting too tired and sore to fight. So he fled. But before he did so, thinking that the opposing commander couldn't do anything about it, Amaros tauntingly let slip that he had planned a surprise attack on Avalon, a small, under-guarded city but a major Dynstian political center. If it fell, Dynastia's monarchy too would fall.

So Amaros launched the attack only to be thwarted by the troops that he thought the Dynastian commander would not be able to mobilize in time. Avalon's city walls remained unscathed and Amaros' invade force broke. That was the final major battle. The war was all but over after that.

Obviously, when Zadonians found out about what happened, they were outraged. There was serious talk when the failed attack squad returned to de-rank Amaros. Possibly as far down as the rank given to the new recruit. With his cunning, he was able to convince the king to let him remain, but not without a massive negative impact on his reputation. A great mistake that Hogan intended to avoid at all costs a second time.

Amaros sighed, obviously distressed as to the predicament they have gotten into. "Alright. But we are not delaying a day over a week, do you hear me?"

"Yes sir."

"Sub-humans are more trouble than they are worth."

* * *

Ike slept in late the next day and awoke to a very dreary scene. Instead of the sun beating through his window, all Ike could see were raindrops, with the occasional bolt of lightning. And with all that happened yesterday, it was one of those days where you wished that you could just sleep, all day long.

Seemed Ranulf had the same idea, Ike realized, when he finally decided that he probably should get up. He was still sound asleep in his bed, something that was highly uncharacteristic of him. Good thing that he had got enough meat to last a couple of days for the mercenaries over the past few days. Hunting would have been horrible in this type of weather. Cats don't like to get wet.

But Ranulf had to get up eventually. By lunchtime he was out the door and on his way to Gallia to have a small chat with his king. He and Titania had procrastinated enough, but it had done them no good. The rain was coming down even harder now.

And that made it very difficult on Ike, who had, through his respect of his enemy, promised to bury the dead. In the end, he decided to command the mercenaries to do it now, anyway, even with the heavy rain. Though he was enough of a gentleman to let the ladies sit this mission out.

The next two days went by pretty slow for Ike and the mercenaries. Personally, Ike was sick of the anticipation. The mightiest army in the known world was waging war on Crimea, perhaps all of Tellius, and all Ike could do was wait for Ranulf and Titania to get back. The days were becoming so long that Ike woke up one morning thinking that a year had passed when in fact it was just the morning after their messengers had left.

Groaning at this realization, Ike got up out of bed and made his way down to breakfast. It was still quite early and only Soren, Boyd and Lethe had even gotten up yet, and of course Oscar was in the kitchen.

The days may be dragging on, but the fort was not devoid of action, Ike soon noticed. It all happened in front of his eyes as he walked into the dining room.

Boyd was just grabbing his food. He had obviously just gotten up because he was constantly rubbing his eyes and his overall body language was groggy and slow. And a tired Boyd is a clumsy Boyd.

He was just turning to grab a spot at the table when suddenly the plate flew out of his hands. With a shocked expression on his face he made a desperate grab for it, but it was just beyond his reach…

Crash!

Right at Lethe's feet, who was just finishing up her breakfast and walking to the kitchen to clean up her plate. The metal plate clanged on the ground, but the contents ended up on Lethe's feet.

"Watch it!" She hollered loud enough to wake up everyone in the fort. "I'm walking here! Clumsy Beorc…" She finished, muttering.

"Lethe, calm down. We'll get you cleaned up, don't worry about it. It was an accident." Ike said, making his entrance to the previously unknowing Lethe.

Lethe spun around to face the voice, startled. When she realized it was Ike, all feeling of anger vanished. "Oh, sorry, Ike. No, it's alright, I'll clean up myself." She said humbly, averting her eyes. She then quickly made her way to her room to clean herself up and left the cleaning in the dining room up to someone else.

Ike was very shocked to say the least. Never before had he seen such a change in personality upon sight. But then again, he saw the same amount of change in Boyd at that very instant.

Boyd had rapidly changed from shock at Lethe's anger to angry at Lethe's change in Ike's presence. "What the hell was that about?" He asked angrily.

"I don't know." Ike said, still shocked. He grabbed himself a plate and sat down. "She's been acting awfully strange lately. Come to think of it, she's been locking herself in her room and avoiding me since the battle."

Boyd grumbled in response, but Soren, who had been nibbling on his food and watching it all play out, nodded, intrigued.

"Yeah, she's been avoiding all of us since then." Soren added.

"It's almost as if she has something…" Ike started.

"To hide, yeah that's what I was thinking." Soren finished.

"I don't even know if it is that." Ike said thoughtfully. "I think it is more that she is ashamed of something."

"Ike, there is something I have to tell you about her." Soren said.

"What is it?"

"Ike, I think she is hiding something. At night, sometimes I see her leave the fort. She doesn't tell anybody and she is always being discreet about it. I tried asking her about it the other day, but she avoided the question. Ike, I think that she may be-"

"Soren," Ike interrupted. "Are you insinuating that Lethe is a traitor?"

"I've seen her leave this fort, Ike, while we are all asleep. Yes, I think that she may be giving away key information that we need to be able to pull this off."

"Soren, don't ever let me hear you say that again! I know you've had your differences with Laguz, but don't let your prejudices get in the way of our common goal."

"My prejudices?" Soren said dumbfounded and a little irked. "Ike, I have never been anything but up front and honest with you! I would have come up and said the same thing if it was I who was the traitor! Ike, you got lucky during the last war. But if nothing else, in this war you are going to learn that you can't trust everyone during time of warfare. Please, I beg for you to see reason-"

"Soren, this conversation is over." Ike said, getting up. He hadn't finished his food yet, but sometimes Soren could be unbearable. "Lethe was a great ally during the Mad King's War."

"But Ike, she hates Beorc!"

"Okay, I can see you are not going to give up, Soren. But tell me this. Why would she help bring down Crimea and the Beorc when that would put her beloved Gallia at risk? I don't care how much you hate her or how much she hates you, Soren. You are allies. What we really need in this conflict is unity. Separation will only bring us down." And with that, Ike vanished down the hall, back to his room.

Making sure he heard Ike's door close first, Boyd said, "Well, I believe you, Soren."

While that made the angry Soren feel better somewhat, he knew that Boyd was just still mad at Lethe for what had just happened.

* * *

Titania had long escaped the rain. When she had reached the walls of Melior the next afternoon, there was not a cloud in sight. But soon, Titania knew, knowledge would sweep over the unknowing castle. Titania was here to make sure that happened.

Titania made her was to the castle town doors and quickly found herself face to face with a Crimean guard.

"Please state your name and business." The guard said unemotionally.

"Titania, and I'm here to see the queen." Titania said impatiently.

The guard looked at her doubtfully. "Do you really think that even getting a glimpse at the queen is that easy?"

"It's urgent! Please, let me see her."

The guard opened the doors to the castle town reluctantly. "Follow this path straight through town and you'll come by the walls of the castle. I can't guarantee much though. Talk to the guard in front of the castle. Good luck, you'll need it."

Nodding her thanks, Titania urged her horse in the walls of Melior. After tying her horse at a nearby stable, she ran down the familiar path to the castle. Sure enough, soon Titania found the inner walls guarded by a single guard.

"Name and business." The guard said in much the same tone as the other guard when Titania had reached the smaller, but much more elegant, door.

"Titania, and I'm here to see the queen." Titania repeated.

"I'm sorry," The guard said indifferently. "The queen is in an important meeting right now and will not be out for a while."

"But it's urgent!"

"I'm sorry," The guard repeated impatiently. "But the queen is busy! Go away, you have no business here."

"Look, I have information that can help this kingdom!"

"Fine, you can have a room for tonight. Pending the queen's permission, you can tell her this 'important' information tomorrow."

"Thank you." Titania said in relief.

The guard opened the door to the castle and walked in with Titania on his heels.

"Okay, I am going to find you an open room. But before I do that, give me your weapon." He said, indicating her spear.

"What?"

"No weapons are permitted for visitors in the castle."

But Titania had no intention of giving up her weapon. She only wished to relay her information to Elincia and get out of here as quickly as possible. "Before anything else, let me just say I have the utmost respect for you as a knight of Crimea."

"What are you up to?" The guard asked suspiciously.

He saw it coming and tried to avoid it, but Titania was too quick for him. She slammed the butt end of her spear over his head, knocking him out cold.

Looking around, Titania was relieved that no one saw and the guard had not made any noise either. But all the same, someone would find out sooner or later, so Titania quickly ran across the big entrance hall. Thank the goddesses that Titania was familiar enough of the castle to know where the designated meeting room was.

Finding the entrance, she barged through the door, surprising all the debaters on the other side.

"Titania!" Elincia called out, interrupting one of the nobles mid-sentence. "Are you alright?" She said, getting up out of her chair and walking over to her.

"What is this Elincia?" Said the noble who had been cut off. "Peasant's ears are not meant for this conversation!"

Ignoring him, Titania whispered to Elincia, "I have something urgent to tell you."

"Excuse me for a moment." Elincia said to the nobles. "Let's go outside." She whispered back.

Together, Elincia and Titania walked out the door, leaving the nobles dumbfounded.

As soon as she had appeared in the hall, she was swarmed by many guards. "Here she is!" One called out. "You are going to the cellars to await trial for assault against a Crimean soldier." He said, grabbing her arm.

"Let her be, Guard." Elincia commanded.

"But, your majesty-"

"Do as I say."

"Yes, your majesty." Reluctantly, the guards walked away from the scene.

"What did you do, Titania?"

Ashamed, Titania said, "I told you, Princess, I have something urgent to tell you. The guard wouldn't let me see you, so I knocked him out so I could."

"Titania…" Elincia sighed, smiling. "This is going to take a lot to sort out."

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's fine."

"I'm sorry for interrupting your meeting too."

"Oh, that? Just the nobles complaining about the magnitude of the potato tax, that's all. Something I am actually glad you interrupted."

Titania smiled. "Well, Princess, to the information. Perhaps you know about this flag?" She reached into her pocket and showed her the tattered Zadonian flag.

"W-where did you get that?" Elincia asked, fearful that she knew the answer.

"We were attacked by a small force carrying this Zadonian flag."

"Was anybody injured?" Elincia asked concerned. She knew who Zadonia was. Every monarch in the world knew about it. And every monarch dreaded the day that their country, too, would be besieged by their ultimate army.

"No, Soren claims it was an inexperienced provisional force. Well, Ike sustained a small cut in his gut, but he was up and healthy again within the hour."

"Oh, good."

"Your majesty, they were testing us. Soren believes they are preparing to wage war against Crimea."

"Yes," Elincia replied. "Unfortunately, I have come to the same conclusion. And it seems that they are targeting Ike."

Meanwhile, in the room of angry nobles, Geoffrey and Lucia were beginning to get worried. They left too, but the nobles were too busy ranting about Elincia's departure to care less.

The siblings found Elincia wearing a fearful expression just outside the door. "Your majesty?" Geoffrey asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"The day has come, Geoffrey." Elincia said, pointing at the flag that Titania was holding.

"That's not…" Lucia started.

"The flag of Zadonia, yes." Elincia finished.

"Princess," Titania said. "Ike wishes that you send word to Daein and Begnion. Ranulf has already been sent to Gallia, so you don't have to worry about the Laguz nations."

"Yes, I'll ask Marcia to do it. But Titania, tell Ike that I wish for him to take refuge back here, at the castle."

"Yes, your majesty, I'll tell him that the princess commands it." She said smiling.

"Thank you, Titania." Elincia said sincerely. "You are cleared of all charges. Now go back. The sooner Ike and you mercenaries get here to the castle, the safer you'll be."

"Yes, Princess Elincia." Titania said, before disappearing from the castle.

"Shall we inform the nobles?

Elincia looked back into the meeting room and saw that the nobles had given up on their rants of her, and had gotten back to debating about potato taxes without her.

"No, they got enough to worry about." She said smirking.

* * *

"Ike, I'm sorry." Soren said sincerely.

"It's alright, Soren. I forgive you."

It was now late in the afternoon, and dinner was just being served. Ike had been the first one down, with Soren right on his heels to apologize.

"I don't know what came over me, Ike. I know a friend would never do something like that." Soren was a good liar, as it turns out. He still knew he was right, but he didn't want to sacrifice his friendship with Ike for anything.

"Don't worry about it, Soren."

"Well, now that that has been settled," Soren started. "We need to leave here Ike. As soon as Titania and Ranulf get back."

"What? Why?"

"Because they seem to be targeting you, Ike. Don't take this as a shot at your skills with a blade; I personally think they are brilliant. But you are one person. Even with your mercenaries fighting by your side, we will not be able to take on thousands of well trained soldiers."

"Yeah, I guess that _is_ a good point…"

"You're not safe, Ike." Soren added. "We will be safer behind castle walls and the entire Crimean army."

"Oh, no!" Ike said angrily. "I will not hide behind anybody!"

"But, Ike-"

"Soren, these people look up to me. If they know that I'm hiding at the back, their hero reluctant to fight, they won't have the heart to fight either. They will give up. You always tell me that knowledge is key in war, Soren. Well, I think you are wrong. Will is key. If soldiers don't have the will to fight, all the knowledge in the world won't help them. We have to keep the common soldier's spirits up to have any shot in this war."

"I can't lose you, Ike!"

"And I can't lose Crimea!"

"Alright, fine." Soren said, resigning himself to the fact that Ike was not going to change his mind. "But if you are going to be leading the charge, you'd better believe that I'll be right there, watching your back."

"See?" Ike said smiling. "That's exactly what I'm talking about."

"What?"

"It is not what we are fighting against, but rather what we are fighting for that will determine the outcome of this war. If we show that every soldier has something to fight for, we can come out on top. Thinking about all that I could lose; friends, the mercenaries, and not to mention the wondrous nation of Crimea; it makes me feel invincible."

"You're right, Ike. Everyone has something to fight for. We just have to show the soldiers that."

"My point exactly."

"Well," Soren started. "Let me go tell the rest of the mercenaries to be ready to leave for Melior by the time Ranulf and Titania return." And Soren disappeared down the hall.

* * *

Titania had returned by noon of the next day, right on schedule. Ranulf was a different story. It was now evening, and he still had not showed up. Everyone was ready to depart pending his arrival back, but didn't show up. Ike had even packed up what little Ranulf had in Ike's room.

"What is taking him so long?" Soren muttered angrily. Every one of the mercenaries was huddled in the dining room, waiting for his return.

"Well, this is a Lion King we are taking about…" Oscar added.

"Who, Caineghis?" Ike said in disbelief. "No, he was always understanding when we were there."

"That's just because he was dealing with a foreign dignitary, most likely." Titania said. "In the best of times, I heard that Caineghis can be as stubborn as a mule."

"Yeah, and with no proof…"Oscar added.

"He won't believe us." Soren finished. "I was worried about this. But we needed to have Titania give that flag to Elincia, so she can have proof to present to Daein. Being so weak, they might just reject the claim if there was no proof, figuring it was just a ploy to let their guards down."

"Wait, you wanted me to give the flag to Elincia?" Titania said, astonished.

"You…you didn't give the flag to Elincia?"

"No!" She said, presenting the ragged flag. "You didn't tell me to give it to her!"

"Arggh!" Soren said in disbelief. "We may have just lost a crucial ally, and it is all thanks to you!"

"Soren, stop it." Ike commanded. "It wasn't her fault. It was just a misunderstanding."

"But-"

"It's over, Soren. We'll just have to live with the outcome and hope for the best."

"I'm sorry." Titania muttered, ashamed.

"It's not your fault either, Titania." Ike said.

Relieved, Titania replied. "I sure do hope that Marcia can recruit Daein…"

"Oh, is that who Elincia sent?" Ike questioned. "Well, she can be quite persuasive. And I also hear that General Tauroneo is the interim king, until they can figure out what to do next with no direct, blood-related heir. Tauroneo was helping protect Elincia with us. He knows that she is a trustworthy person. I sure he will be understandable."

"We can only hope." Soren said dismally.


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, here you go. Chapter 6. I don't know if you like the chapters longer or shorter, but I couldn't find a good place to stop, so you get a long chapter this time. Anyway, enjoy the update.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Marcia showed up at the doorstep of Nevassa on the night of the day after she had been deployed. She had been instructed to tell Interim King Tauroneo that 'Zadonia' was coming, or something like that. It was all just a bunch of gibberish to Marcia. She had never heard of this 'Zadonia' before, nor did she know why it would want to come. Or even why this would pose any problems for Daein.

But it was Elincia's wish for her to this, and she was the queen…

Perhaps there was some hidden knowledge that Marcia didn't know about, information that could make this request a whole lot understandable. But for now, Marcia was left to carry out the command.

She found a pair of guards at the entrance to Nevassa. "Lady Marcia, personal messenger of Princess Elincia Crimea, requests a talk with King Tauroneo on a very important matter." She said formally.

The guards eyed her suspiciously. "Wait here." One of the guards said. "Let me run this by the king."

After a few uncomfortable moments standing alone and quiet with the other guard, the other guard returned. "The king will speak to you immediately. Right this way." The guard said, beckoning her.

"I will take my leave of you here." The guard said after a minute or two of walking. "The king is just on the other side of this door." He said, indicating the door they had just come upon at the end of a long hallway.

Nodding her thanks, she opened the door, walked in and closed the door behind her. Looking at the scene around her, she noticed more than one familiar face sitting at a nearby table.

"So, Lady Marcia now, huh?" Tauroneo said, grinning at his companion from not long ago. "How have you been, Marcia?"

"Yeah, gave up on the Begnion Pegasus knights. I'm a personal messenger for Princess Elincia now."

"Ah, Princess Elincia…" Tauroneo said, reminiscing. "A very trustworthy and responsible woman. Important qualities for a Princess." Changing the subject, Tauroneo said smiling, "Perhaps you recognize a couple of faces in this room?"

Indeed, the three other faces Marcia saw in this room were three that were not hard to forget. Not after all the sacrificed to help her homeland be freed from the grasp of King Ashnard, their king.

They were all sitting at a nearby table. Jill, with her flaming red hair was smiling up at Marcia. She was holding Haar's hand while Haar continued to be the only one who ignored Marcia by taking a nap on Jill's shoulder. Across from Jill sat Zihark, one of the most skilled with a blade that Marcia had ever seen.

"These are my political advisors."

"Political advisors? I don't think they would make very good political advisors. All I have ever seen them do is cleave enemies' heads off." Marcia said smirking.

Tauroneo laughed. "Sometimes, that is the most efficient form of resolving conflicts in a political standpoint too. Come, we have saved a spot for you."

Walking over to the table, Marcia sat down next to Zihark and Tauroneo, who was at the head of the table.

"So, Marcia, what does Princess Crimea have to tell us?"

"Well, I'm not sure exactly what it means, but Elincia told me to tell you that 'Zadonia is coming for us,' or something like that. Perhaps you know more about it that I do?"

Jill and the sleeping Haar didn't seem to understand either, but Zihark and Tauroneo were both wearing shocked and fearful expressions by the time that she had finished talking.

"No…" Tauroneo said quietly.

"What?" Marcia asked questionably. Jill also seemed eager to know what was going on. "What's wrong?"

Tauroneo looked too devastated to talk, so Zihark answered her. "Zadonia is the most powerful nation known. The hail from the land across the sea east of Tellius. Let's just put it this way: They have never lost but for some minor skirmishes against Dynastia. Their army consists of almost as many men as the nation of Begnion, including women and children. Just the massiveness of their army is enough, but they also take pride in the fact that they have some of the most experienced soldiers anywhere. All in all, they are virtually invincible.

"Invincible…coming for us…we're doomed!" Marcia sobbed, realizing the dread in which Elincia had given the command was not unwarranted.

"No you're not." Tauroneo said immediately. "Daein will send as many soldiers as they can spare to Ally Crimea's aide. You can count on us."

"Thank you, King Tauroneo." Marcia said dismally. "Do you mind if I take my leave? I still have to warn Begnion, and I don't have much time…"

"Yes, go right on ahead." Tauroneo watched as the miserable Marcia walked out the door.

"Are you sure that is a good idea, Tauroneo?" Zihark asked as Marcia left.

"What?"

"Sending aide. How can we know that they aren't lying to us?"

"What do you mean?"

"How could you even think like that, Zihark?" Jill hollered angrily. "They're our friends! They wouldn't try to take us down while we're weak." The sudden movement while Jill was hollering at Zihark woke Haar up.

"Wha did I miss?" He asked tiredly.

"Only the fact that we are doomed!" Jill said, still angry.

"Oh, that's always good…" He said, thinking she was kidding.

"Jill, I believe every bit of what Marcia just said! But don't you think that the nobles would be a little angry if we let our guard down!

"Stop fighting you two." Tauroneo commanded. "Jill did have a point though. These are our friends and I intend to help them. Gawain's son, Ike, saved me from Ashnard. Now I intend to help save his nation. No questions asked."

After a few minutes of silence, Jill asked Haar, "What do you think."

Haar still had a blank stare, as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "Honestly, sweetheart, whatever you think is what I think." He said yawning. He folded up his arms on the table and rested his head on his arms. "Time for a nap…"

Within a minute he was fast asleep.

Amidst all that was going on at the moment, Zihark couldn't help but give in to the hilarity of the situation. "Honestly," He said grinning at Jill. "What do you see in him?"

* * *

The mercenaries were really becoming concerned by the time Ranulf showed up the next morning. They were starting to think that he maybe had been intercepted by the enemy and was now being held captive, but he was alright. Granted, a little mad at his king.

Turns out that the presumed was what happened to delay Ranulf. After intense effort, Ranulf managed to convince the stubborn king, and Caineghis was calling a Laguz council together to inform the other laguz nations. Let's hope that they are easier to convince.

Once Ranulf had returned, Ike and the mercenaries were gone within the hour. Soren wanted to be at Melior by tomorrow night, at the latest.

And they got there on time. After about a day and a half of speed travel, the mercenaries made it to Castle Crimea.

"My lord Ike!" Princess Elincia exclaimed as the mercenaries entered the castle. The guards were told to let them in, no questions asked. "It is good to see you in good health!"

"It is nice to finally see you again, Elincia." Ike replied.

"Finally?" Boyd said. "Ike, it has been two weeks since we were last here."

"All the same" Ike said grinning at this realization. "It is nice to see you again."

"Thank you for coming, Ike." Elincia said smiling. "Given the situation we have found ourselves in, I was concerned for your well-being."

"Oh, don't worry about it. You aren't the only one. Soren here doesn't seem to think that I can take on an entire well trained army on my own." Ike said smirking.

"You're not alone, Ike!" Boyd perked up. "You still got us mercenaries!"

"Oh, yeah, us mercenaries against a whole army from the most powerful country in the world. Great odds." Shinon muttered to Gatrie.

"I'll put 10,000 gold on that big army." Gatrie muttered back, earning a snicker from Shinon.

"Yeah, I know all of you would be there with me. Except one person. I'm sure when he saw what we were up against, Ranulf would turn tail and run. That's what cats are good at." Ike said, smirking.

A blow to his cheek told him that this was not a good thing to say. But it was not Ranulf's hand that had dealt the damage.

In front of the princess and many guards of Crimea, Lethe had slapped Ike hard across the face.

"Don't _ever_ characterize me or any other Laguz with the likes of Ranulf or disloyalty!" She hollered before storming off down the hall.

"Ouch." Ranulf said. She had effectively destroyed both Ike and Ranulf in one fell swoop.

"I didn't mean any of that, Lethe!" Ike hollered down the hall after her, but he wasn't sure if she heard. That cat was quick on her feet.

"Guards!" Elincia said angrily.

"Please, Elincia, no. She isn't right at the moment. And I'm fine; there is no need to punish her."

"Well, if you are sure…" Elincia said, giving in.

"Thank you."

"Would you like for someone to show you to your rooms?" Elincia asked.

"Please."

Elincia ordered a nearby guard to show them to their rooms before returning to do princess stuff, namely debate with nobles on pointless matters. They still had no idea of the upcoming war, and Elincia wanted to keep it that way. But she would have to tell them sooner or later in order to prepare effectively.

The guard leading the mercenaries soon found the rooms he was looking for, about halfway down a hall a couple of flights of stairs up.

"Sorry, but we only have five rooms to spare at the moment." The guard started. "Luckily they are all side by side, but it looks like you are going to have to bunk about three to a room. The rooms are quite big, and Elincia made sure to place three beds in each. I'll leave you to decide the living arrangements.

The first room was easy to decide. As soon as the guard left, Lethe, who had returned to the scene by way of another guard, grabbed one of the five keys the guard left on a nearby table and opened the matching door, making sure to close it loudly behind her.

"Well, that just made things more difficult…" Soren muttered. The rest of the twelve would have to bunk in four rooms.

After intense thought, the rooms were decided. The three brothers, Oscar, Boyd and Rolf took one room. The three ladies, Mist, Titania, and Mia took another room. Both Soren and Rhys liked it quiet, and as the rest could get quite rowdy, they decided to split it so that there was one room of two. Which meant Ike and Ranulf were stuck with Shinon and Gatrie.

The mercenaries grabbed what few belonging they had and got accustomed to their rooms and roommates. Ike would have to remember to ask Elincia for an extra bed. Or take one of Soren and Rhys'.

Immediately, Ike found that rooming with Shinon could be both excruciatingly annoying and strangly amusing.

Throwing his stuff on the ground, Shinon sat down a nearby bed and pulled out the bow at his back. Grabbing a few arrows out of his bag, he proceeded to shot at the opposite wall. Gatrie sat down on the floor and watched in dull amusement as the arrows zipped by and hit the wall before falling to the floor unthreateningly.

"Doesn't take much to amuse you two, does it?" Ike asked teasingly. He watched with a grin as the two remained unchanged.

"Nope." Shinon said simply, continuing to fire the arrows effortlessly. "Just passing the time before I can grab myself a drink."

Ike smirked. "Titania will kill you."

"If she catches me."

Ike focused on the arrows. They were wooden tipped. Would not damage a thing. But what was impressive was that every single arrow was hitting the almost exact same spot on the wall. Through repetition, they were causing a small dot shaped dent to appear in the wall.

"Wow. Impressive." Ike said.

Shinon knew exactly what he was talking about. "I never miss." He said indifferently.

"So, if you never miss, would you be able to snipe every one of Zadonia's forces.?"

"Sure. Find me a safe place to shoot from and thousands of arrows and I'd do it."

"Well, we are kinda low on gold…"

"Case and point." Shinon said, releasing yet another arrow.

"And could you pick another target? That hole is getting pretty noticeable."

"You got it, _commander_." Shinon said, putting emphasis on the last word.

This is where the annoying part came in. The constant _twang_ of the bowstring and the _thud_ of the arrow hitting the wall were quite irritating; not to mention Shinon's sarcasm when talking to superiors. And Shinon and Gatrie just watched arrow after arrow, seemingly mesmerized.

"Idiots." Ike muttered to Ranulf, walking over to him on a nearby bed. Under normal circumstances, Shinon and Gatrie would have heard, but they really seemed absorbed in the arrow launching. Shinon's arm would move to shot the arrow, and every once in a while, Gatrie would grab some of the fallen arrows and give them back to Shinon for re-shooting, but that was the only motion between the two statues.

Ranulf didn't answer. Ike had not heard him speak in some time. He had remained passive for the entirety, so far, of the time in the bedroom.

"What's up?" Ike asked, concerned.

"Lethe." He muttered.

"Oh, don't worry about her. Something's up with her, I just don't know what it is."

"Not her. What she said."

"What do you mean?"

"Ike, be honest with me here, do you think that anything she said was, well, legitimate?"

"What, you mean disloyalty? Ranulf, I told you before, Lethe is not right at the moment. She has no idea what she's talking about."

"But, what if-" Ranulf started, still not convinced, only to be cut off by Ike.

"Say no more, Ranulf. You put your life, your reputation as a proud Laguz warrior on the line to help me save my country. If that isn't loyalty, I don't know what is."

"But is just it." Ranulf countered. "I was loyal to you, but I deserted Gallia."

"You didn't desert Gallia, Ranulf. You stood up for what you thought was right. That's true loyalty."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ranulf sighed. "I wonder what's up with Lethe, though. She's never insulted me, or you by my knowledge, like that before."

"I don't know. Didn't she used to like you?"

"Yeah, back when she was a new recruit, but that was just an innocent crush. It was never anything serious."

"Oh."

"I think you should talk to her. I think she likes you now."

"Her? Like me? Ranulf, she's done nothing but insult me for the past week."

"Yeah, I know. But Ike, here is a secret about her you may or may not have known. Lethe is afraid of rejection. She's terrified by the concept that she may put her feelings on the line, only to be put down. That's why she always covers up her feelings. That's why she's been insulting you."

"Yeah, but she been insulting you and the rest of the mercenaries more often as well. Right before she slapped me, I saw something, Ranulf. As much as her body was trying to convey anger, his eyes conveyed differently. I saw shame, pity, and remorse swimming in her eyes."

"Well, that only proves my point."

"I don't know about Laguz, Ranulf, but I've found when a Beorc feels those three emotions at once, they are trying to cover something up. I may not be an expert at emotions, but I believe Lethe is experiencing an internal struggle on whether to reveal something to us or to push us away."

"Well," Ranulf said thoughtfully. "That may be true, but all the same, I think you should talk to her. You seem to be at the center of this internal struggle."

"Yeah, I probably should. Maybe I can save her before it is too late.

Ike was distracted from his thoughts when Shinon, who had heard all of this, made his entrance into the discussion. "Can you two stop blabbing about your sub…Laguz girlfriend Ike?" Given the fact that Ranulf was right there, Shinon had the sense to not say 'sub-human.' "You're really distracting me."

_Twang. _Thud. _Twang. _Thud.

* * *

While most of the mercenaries were downstairs for dinner, Ike decided it was time to have a nice friendly chat with Lethe.

Reaching his hand for the door, Ike was not surprised to find out that her door was locked. And since Ike knew for a fact that Lethe had not left, there was only one place she could be, and that was on the other side of that door.

Ike gave a firm knock on the door. No reply.

He knocked twice more. Same thing.

He knocked again, this time he also yelled, "Lethe, open the door. I need to talk to you."

She must've known who it was by the voice because she soon hollered back, "Go away! I don't want to talk to you!"

"Lethe, you can't stay in there forever, and I'll be right here when you open that door." Ike knew threats probably weren't best in this situation, but he could think of no alternative.

Lethe must've known he'd carry out his threat because she soon opened the door. But when the door swung open, he did not see Lethe's face. Instead, she was already sitting back down on her bed.

"See? That wasn't so hard." Ike said, walking into her room.

"Before you even start, let me just tell you that I am not going to apologize for anything!" She snarled.

"Relax. I'll take full responsibility for what happened. I should not have joked about something as serious as your pride. I am truly sorry, Lethe."

"Yeah, yeah." She said, waving the comment off. She knew that she had it easy there, and had decided not to push her luck.

"Lethe, you've been acting really weird lately."

"That's what you want to talk about? I'm fine; I'm just annoyed of people who won't mind their own business!" She growled.

Ike ignored her rant. "Care to talk about it?"

"Talk about what? Ike, there is nothing to talk about!"

"You keep trying to act menacing Lethe, but all I see is you right now is shame. What's up?"

"S-shame?" She stuttered. "I have nothing to be ashamed of!"

"Lethe, you can fool anybody in the world except yourself. Denial will do nothing to help whatever it is you are experiencing."

"I'm not is denial!"

"Lethe, you know you can tell me anything. I will not laugh at you, nor will I yell at you. But I cannot help you unless you tell me."

"For goddesses' sake, there is nothing to say, Ike!"

"Fine. I'll leave you to your thoughts. Just remember, Lethe, I know you are lying to me right now. And whenever you wish to talk about it, I'll be all ears."

* * *

"Commander, I have something to tell you. It's very urgent." Hogan asked.

The forces of Zadonia had finally arrived at Tellius three days ago, and the commander decided to let his forces take a rest. It was very hard to mobilize one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers.

There were the one hundred thousand soldiers the King knew about, the fifth and a fraction of the sixth division, but there were also those he didn't know about.

Amaros had succeeded in sneaking an extra fifty thousand sixth division troops to the battlefield. It was difficult, but they were able to bear the lack of food and sleeping space that came with putting too many extra men on one boat. Each boat normally held about one hundred men, but Amaros stuffed almost double that in each.

"Go on." Amaros said.

"The spies have returned."

"Did you talk to them?"

"Yes sir. Apparently, the hero and his forces guessed that we were going to target the hero. They have fled to Melior. But that's not all, reinforcements from all over Tellius are on their way to Melior. Gallia alone sent about a third of their troops to help Melior."

"Hmm, that may make our fight a little more interesting. I wonder how these beasts fight."

"Sir, if I may, I think we should change targets. Gallia would be defenseless against an onslaught of only half of our men. We send our full squad, and they don't stand a prayer with only two thirds of their squad."

"Tempting… yes very tempting, but I think we should continue with our planned attack."

"Wha-! Why?" Hogan asked, shocked. That was the only time that he could remember where Amaros didn't do what he suggested.

"We made it our goal to take out the hero first, right?"

"Yes, but under different circumstances…"

"No buts. And besides, with all those extra reinforcements there, we can take out the hero and vanquish any threat of defeat in one fell swoop."

* * *

Ike had left Lethe's room and went downstairs to dinner, where he found a surprise.

As soon Ike had entered the luxurious dining hall, Soren spotted him and ran up to him. He said giddily, "Ike, Tibarn has come with some great news!"

Looking around, Ike saw Tibarn, Janaff, and Ulki standing on the other side of the room. Ike, curiosity getting the best of him, walked over to where they were standing.

"Tibarn!" Ike exclaimed when he had gotten over there. "Long time no see, eh? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Ike. Just the man I wanted to see. Ike, I've got some important news for you."

"Good or bad? 'Cause I am really getting sick of bad news."

"Well, I'll let you be the judge of that." Tibarn said smirking. "Phoenicis has decided to aide Melior in the upcoming fight with all of its troops. They should arrive by tomorrow evening."

"Really?" Ike asked excitedly. "Wow, that's great! But what about your nation? How will you protect you're people with no troops?"

"All men in our nation are in the force. As for our women and children, they have been instructed to go into hiding. I can guarantee you that they will not be found that easily."

"How many is all your troops?"

"Well, as you know, Phoenicis is a small nation. That is why we are siding with Crimea. With a total force of just over two thousand men, we'd be destroyed by an onslaught of Zadonia's caliber. But if we side with you…who knows? The tides just may change…"

"This is the best news I've heard in weeks! Thanks, Tibarn." Ike said, smiling. "Any word from Naesala?"

"Yes, I did speak with him, briefly." Tibarn said, sighing. "Once again, Naesala refuses to see the light. He continues to do what he thinks is best for himself."

"So, nothing from him?"

"I will continue to try and convince him. But for now, we should assume that we will get no aide from him."

"Well, all the same, I'm glad that Phoenicis has come to our aide. From what Soren has told me, Zadonia has never fought a Laguz before. If that is true, those two thousand troops will be priceless. Thank you sincerely, Tibarn."

"Phoenicis aims to help allies in times of need. No thanks are necessary."

After saying good-bye to his good hawk friends from the Mad King's War, Ike walked back over to Soren.

"Wow, that's great news Soren!"

"Yeah, and that's not all. Gallia has promised ten thousand as well, due to get here in two days, tops."

"Wow, this is great!"

"Don't get overconfident, Ike. That only brings our total to about fifty thousand. And Goldoa has refused to send aide."

"What, the peace-loving Dheginsea still refuses to fight?" Said Ike, irked.

"Seems that way. Either way, we should keep our composure and not get overconfident. This is going to be a long war."

* * *

Marcia had arrived back the next morning. She said that Daein and Begnion both promised aide, just that they weren't specific as to how many.

The morning after that, a Begnion messenger arrived, saying that they were bringing ten thousand, but that it would probably take a lot of time to mobilize. And according to Soren's predictions, Zadonia could arrive any day now.

But that afternoon, a different army showed up. A much more welcoming one.

"Tauroneo!" Ike exclaimed as the general of the Daein army entered the entrance hall to the castle. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you arrive so quickly!"

"I would never miss out on a war in which I can do much killing." Tauroneo said grinning. "Do you have beds for my army?"

"I don't really know, to tell you the truth. We've been receiving so much aide, we must be running out of room in the barracks. But you need to speak with Elincia. How many men do you have?"

"Two thousand Daein men, under your control, General Ike."

"Wow, Tauroneo, that's a lot. And you arrived so quickly."

"I told you already. My men and I want to kill the troops of Zadonia!"

"Huzzah, I say to that! If you would excuse me, I have to talk to Soren. If you would, go speak to Elincia about lodging for you and your army."

* * *

That evening, Ike found himself alone in his room. Shinon and Gatrie had gone out to a bar in town, much to the dismay of Titania, and who knew where Ranulf would get off to.

But Ike enjoyed the tranquility of the room. It was much more relaxing than the worry that was going on outside the room.

Ike didn't find himself alone for long, though. Soon, his sister walked into the room and plopped into the armchair next to his.

"Hey, Mist." Ike said smiling. "Where's Boyd?"

"I don't know." She said indifferently.

"Don't you want to be with him? You never know what could happen in times of war."

"I know. But this is brother time. With all the time spent with Boyd, I rarely see you anymore."

"Hmm, yeah, now that I think about it, I guess you're right…"

But at that moment, Boyd barged his way through the door. "Mist!" he exclaimed. "There you are!" Then he saw Ike. "Oh, family time, sorry…" He said, making his way out of the room.

"Boyd, get back here!" Ike hollered after him. When Boyd appeared in the doorway once more, Ike continued, "Boyd, you are family. Get back in here. Your wife-to-be needs your support." He finished smirking.

"I can help her there!" Boyd said, taking a seat in the armchair next to Mist and grabbing her hand.

"By the way, how are the wedding plans coming?" Ike asked.

"Horrible." Boyd said.

"We decided to put it off until after this mess with Zadonia." Mist explained.

"Yeah, I imagine this war has really thrown you off, huh?" Ike said.

"That's an understatement…" Boyd muttered.

"Well, just remember, no matter what happens in this war, I'm here for you, both of you. Do you still have that birthday present I gave you, Mist?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Remember, if anything happens, tell me through that stone and I'll help you. And Boyd, if I can't get there, protect her for me."

"It's what I was going to do anyway." Boyd replied.

"Well, I'm starting to get tired…" Mist said yawning. "I think I'll go to bed. Good night, both of you."

"Yeah, me too. Good night." Boyd said.

Ike watched them go. Not five minutes after they were gone, Ike had fallen asleep.

The next morning, Ike woke up and looked out the window. He saw a massive black sheet, moving for the walls of Melior through a downpour.

Warning bells were being rung throughout the castle.

* * *

Ike ran down to the entrance hall. Soren had picked a spot for all the mercenaries to meet, so that they wouldn't be separated. Ike was one of the last ones down there, and once all the mercenaries were down, they too ran out to the walls with their fellow defenders of Crimea.

So the mercenaries moved out and found a place on the castle's wall to observe the enemy from. What they saw was not a welcoming sight.

Thousands upon thousands of soldiers were emerging from the forest, with no end in sight. It took another fifteen minutes until they all came into view, and by that time, the soldiers in the front rows were in arrow range. The force was almost uncountable. The forces of Melior were vastly outnumbered. Soon, what seemed to be the enemy commander stepped out in front of his troops. He must have been pretty confident, as at any given minute, an arrow could come flying down at him. But none did, and he prepared to speak.

"Give us the hero of Crimea." He said with an accent. You could tell Tellius' language wasn't his native language. "I don't want to have to kill you all. Hand over your hero, and your lives will be spared. You have half an hour, then I'll order my army to attack."

* * *

Amaros smirked as his words began to take effect. Everyone close to the hero had begun to close in.

But not that Amaros expected that the hero would be brought here, but that sense of dividedness would make the battle for him only that much easier.

Things had become very rough up there, and Amaros was starting to believe that they might succeed in getting the hero. That is, until he saw a little black-haired boy speak up, though he couldn't hear what he said.

* * *

"Everyone, stop this already, it's madness!" Soren almost screamed.

"Why? We can avoid this whole war if we just hand him over." Said Shinon, who was holding Ike by his right elbow.

"No, handing him over would leave us worse off! That man has no intention of doing what he said. A commander doesn't lead that many men to a castle so they can get hold of one man! He wants to kill Ike, remove the threat, and then proceed with the attack. With Ike gone, our troops would be as good as dead. They look to him for inspiration, and without him, they will lose their morale."

Everyone who was currently trying to grab Ike backed off as the impact of those words hit them. Once the soldiers returned to their positions, Ike muttered his thanks to Soren, who just nodded in return.

"Well, I think you know our answer." Ike called out to the enemy commander. "So why don't you attack now, avoid making us wait?"

"Confident for someone who's as vastly outnumbered as you are." Amaros replied with a smirk. "Very well, we'll proceed with the attack, the sooner we start, the sooner we can take this pathetic castle."

Amaros then turned his back on the defenders of Melior and shouted what Ike thought to be a battle cry to his men in some kind of foreign tongue. Immediately, previously unseen war ladders emerged from the back of the army and marched their way towards the wall.

Soren was right this time. He had said that the empire would rather use ladders than siege hammers for this particular fight. Though he had not predicted this many. About two hundred ladders now made their way towards the wall, each being held by two soldiers.

Meanwhile, Ike heard the current general of the Crimean army, Geoffrey, shout, "Fire when ready!"

Arrows began to rain down on the ladder-bearers, but with the rain and wind, hardly any of them hit their target. Soon, a ladder latched itself on a piece of wall near Ike. He unlatched it and pushed it back over the edge in no time, but more ladders had begun to spring up all along the wall. The soldiers had been told what to do, but they were struggling to do it. Not only was the rain starting to come down faster and blinding everyone's vision, but also enemy archers had begun to fire blindly up at the wall. They didn't hit often, but every once in a while an arrow would lodge itself into the flesh of an unfortunate soldier.

The defenders of Melior did well to begin with, but soon the bodies of dead soldiers made the wall had to get to, and the enemy took advantage. Everywhere on the wall, ladders held up and the main force began to pour onto the wall.

An enemy jumped off a ladder and lunged at Ike. Ike parried and made for the counter attack that he believed would finish the soldier off. But he was quick and parried Ike's attack. After a brief duel, Ike finished him off and realized that these soldiers were nothing like the ones he had faced back at the fort. They were stronger, quicker, and, in general, far superior. Even their weapons and armor were first-class.

But in the concentrated amounts that the enemy was entering in, Ike and the mercenaries had no problem holding their section of wall. The problem was in the Crimean soldiers. Most of them were far less experienced than the mercenaries, and were struggling even against the few soldiers that had made it onto the wall. The Laguz forces were faring better, but not much. The only advantage they had was that the enemy didn't know how to fight them.

Soon, the ineptitude of Tellius' forces began to take effect on the Greil Mercenaries. Ike himself was forced to fight against seven enemies, and with everyone he killed, another one stepped in. He had sustain a large gash in his left thigh and a small slash in his right arm, but he fought on. Fatigue was beginning to play a role in the battle. They had been at it for half an hour and the defenders were beginning to crumble.

After taking down what seemed to be his hundredth enemy, Ike looked around in desperation. The Crimean soldiers were getting overwhelmed. The Laguz forces were nearing defeat as well. Mist and Rhys were running all over the place to heal allies, but there were too many injuries. Mia had a large gash across her stomach, but she continued to fight four enemies at once. Boyd and Oscar both seemed to be alright, but they were back to back with at least ten enemies surrounding them. Gatrie and Shinon put the thunder and lightning tactic to good use, and were holding up better than anyone else. Titania was beginning to get severely drained, but Soren saved her from her foes numerous times with periodic wind attacks.

Upon looking at this, Ike realized the battle was lost. "Retreat!" he yelled. "Retreat to the keep!"

All along the wall, similar cries were being repeated, and those who heard began to evacuate. After striking down one last enemy, Ike turned around and began to run.

But someone called back to him. "Stop right there, hero. I believe you have one more duel before you can leave."

Ike ignored this and continued to run, but the next part stopped him in his tracks. "Fight me or I kill her." Ike turned around, and he spotted the man who had called him. And standing next to him stood a soldier, holding a knife on Lethe's throat.

Ike instantly ran back to her, and with Ragnell pointing at the man's chest, he said forcefully, "Put her down."

"Ha! Good job men, you captured the right one." The soldier next him just smirked. The man pulled out his sword and pointed it at Ike. "So, hero, before we begin, let me introduce myself. I am Commander Amaros, leader of the Zadonian army and soon to be ruler of Tellius."

"Over my dead body." Ike replied.

"Well, that's just what I plan on doing. Goodbye, hero."

Amaros lunged himself Ike, who blocked his assault and forced him back with his blade. Amaros lunged again, with a downward slash, and Ike sidestepped and countered by kicking his feet out from under him. Amaros quickly got back to his feet and continued with his aggressive attacks. Ike soon realized that this man, though commander, was a novice with the blade. He was able to parry or dodge all of Amaros' attacks with ease.

Ike noticed that the commander was becoming fatigued from his own aggressiveness, so Ike began his offensive. He sent slash after slash at Amaros, who was hardly able to block them. After a few minutes, Ike landed a minor blow on the commander's left wrist, making the commander to cry out in pain and drop his sword in the process. Just as Ike lifted his blade for the killing blow though, a tornado of wind bursted out of Amaros' outstretched right hand, sending Ike flying twenty feet back.

Ike lay there for a while, on his back and in utter shock.

Amaros just laughed. "Surprised? What, you thought that swordplay was profession after what I showed you? No, sorry to disappoint, but I'm a first class mage. Perhaps the greatest mage in the world, other than General Hogan here." The man who was holding a knife to Lethe's throat smirked.

"I am able to do magic that the people of Tellius have never even dreamed off before. But let's leave it at that. You won this round, hero. Take that little sub-human friend and save yourselves before I change my mind."

The man who Ike had surmised to be General Hogan spoke up. "Commander, this is that rat that left us." He said with a smirk.

"Oh, ho, ho!" Amaros said a devilish grin. "Well, I'm a man of my word. Hero, you can take the traitor back. I know how much she must mean to you." He said. It was then that Amaros noticed the dumbfound expression on Ike's face and the scarlet blush Lethe had on her face.

"Oh, so you didn't tell him anything, did you traitor?" He said mockingly. "Perhaps you want to know the story, Hero?"

"You see," Amaros said when Ike didn't respond. "This one has been revealing crucial information about you before we even made a move to attack. She stopped after that little skirmish you had with our weak army. How unfortunate. Although, we didn't really have any need for that sub-human anymore." He ended with an evil grin.

Ike didn't know what to feel after he heard that. He was feeling a variety of emotions. But for now, he would stick up for her.

"Don't _ever_ call her a sub-human! She is more of a human than you will ever be!" Ike roared.

"Touched a nerve, did I?" Amaros smirked. "Of all you could have chosen, you chose a sub-human. Tsk, Tsk. Take your little sub-human girlfriend and go. Release her, Hogan."

Once the commander had finished, Hogan had released Lethe, but as they made their way to the inner keep, Ike was still confused.

"Ike, I am so sorry!" Lethe said as they were running.

"We'll talk about it later, Lethe. For now, it is more important that we get to safety." He could tell by the look on her face that she did not want the others knowing yet.

"Ike!" Mist almost screamed, wrapping her arms around him when they finally got back to the inner keep. "Where have you been? You've been gone quite a long time."

"Well, I kind of had a run in with their commander…" Ike answered.

Shocked silence filled their corner of the room. "You mean, like, you fought him?" Boyd asked.

"No, Boyd, we had a nice chat over tea in the middle of a battlefield." Ike replied sarcastically. "Get a brain, Boyd, they're not that expensive."

"What happened, Ike?" Mist asked, pulling him tighter.

"It was nothing. He took Lethe captive to draw me out and fight him, but he wasn't all that great with a blade. But by his constant boasting, it seems he is a great mage."

"Well, at least you're alright." Oscar said.

"Yeah, well, what is going on here? Do you have an estimate on the dead, Soren?" Ike asked.

"Yes." Soren replied, but looked hesitant to give the number.

"Well?"

"About three thousand dead, more than five thousand injured."

"Really? Wow, that is a lot. And we couldn't have been out there for that long. How about the enemy? Any guesses on them?"

"I don't expect more than one thousand dead."

"Alright, then when the last soldier makes it to the interior of the castle, we close it, wait till they break through, and then we fight to the death."

"Ike, we can't do that, we'd surely die!" Soren protested.

"What other choice do we have Soren? The castle gate we just lost is our only way out."

"There is one other way out. A series of underground tunnels that will bring us somewhere to the left of where the bulk of the Zadonian army is."

"How big is it?"

"Not very big, if fact it is pretty small. But if you are thinking what I think you're thinking, we couldn't evacuate the whole army even if we wanted to. We need to remain a small, secret force. One that won't be detected by the Zadonian army."

"But I can't just leave these soldiers to die Soren!"

"Ike, you'll die to if you stay here. You need to stay alive, Ike. You're the inspiration for all of Tellius. While you remain alive, the defenders of Tellius will continue to fight on valiantly. You are their hope, Ike. The people of Tellius believe that you will be able to lead them to victory over this oppression."

"I still can't leave them. I need to fight valiantly, like I'm inspiring others to do."

"You are their hero, Ike. Heroes never die."

Ike sighed. "Fine. But who are we taking?"

"That's your call."

"Alright, all of the mercenaries, definitely. Elincia, too. And Geoffrey, Lucia, and Bastian. And probably Marcia as well. Tauroneo definitely, along with Jill, Haar, and Zihark. Tibarn, Janff, and Ulki as well. Is that good, or is that too much?"

"No, that's good."

"Good. Can you go fetch everyone for me Soren? Bring them back here, and then show all of us the way to these secret tunnels."

Soren nodded, and then ran down the hall towards the throne room.

* * *

"Sir, is this really necessary? We have already won this battle." Hogan said.

Amaros had already called all of his men out of the city. Some of them were still there, waiting to get down, but that's alright, Amaros still needed time to get ready.

"Yes, Hogan, I told you that already." Amaros said. "I cannot risk the hero getting away from me. He is just too great a threat. I can see that now, after fighting him. We need to make sure that he is taken care of."

"But this is heartless! The people won't like heartless dictators. There will be all kinds of rebellion once you conquer Tellius."

"Hush, Hogan. You let me take care of that. For now, just stay out of my way." Amaros commanded.

"Yes, sir." The last of the soldiers were making their way out of the castle, and Amaros was getting his tome ready.

* * *

"Alright, well, we're out. I sure am not going to enter that cave again anytime soon" Boyd said.

Ike had to agree with him as he too stepped on grass once again. The cave was dark and moist, not a good combination. But as he got out and looked around, all was not right. Off to his right, he saw the Zadonian army, but they were retreating.

'_They can't have destroyed our defenses that fast, can they?' _He thought.

Ike walked a little closer for a better look. The others noticed what he was looking at, and followed his example. Ike had no idea what was going on, but he soon found out.

A man, alone and nearest to the castle, was standing with his hand outstretched, much like the way Amaros casts his spell. He stood there like that until a bright snowy-white light burst out of his hand. Instantly, the once proud Crimean Castle Melior had been encased in ice.

"Yep, he's a good mage…" Ike said in fearful awe.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi again, everyone! School and Basketball are starting up again, so updates will probably become less and less frequent, I'm afraid. Good news, for you at least, is that Basketball season is over at the beginning of February and I play no springs sports. I will probably get a job, but that is much less time consuming. Anyway, my personal life aside, here is the update.

* * *

**

**Chapter 7**

"I know, I know, but it is just so hard…" Elincia sobbed into Geoffrey's shoulder. Elincia had been horror-struck upon seeing the death of the capital of Crimea, the death of her kingdom. Geoffrey had been trying to contain her uncontrollable sobs for the past couple of days of walking, but they proved to be very stubborn. And the mercenaries and everyone else in the company was forced to move at a extraordinarily slow pace while waiting for her to regain her composure, as she was fighting to do right now.

It must be very hard on her, though, Ike thought as he delved into the memory of what had happened just couple of days ago. Ike had expected to lose all along; The Zadonian army had more men, better weapons, more experience, and overall outmatched the forces of Tellius. But never had he expected it to be _that_ bad.

In the matter of one otherwise peaceful afternoon, just a couple of hours, the forces of Zadonia had successfully wiped out about one third of all of Tellius' forces. Well, maybe not. Ike wasn't sure if the close to forty thousand men now encased in the giant glacier that once was Melior were still alive or not. Probably not, but even if they were, they are not fighting again in this war, that's for sure. Not until somebody found a way to get rid of the ice.

And for what? All those men either dead or stuck in a glacier had only been able to kill about one thousand Zadonian soldiers. Not even a dent in the massive force that they had sent over to Tellius.

"Now what?" Ike had made his way over to Soren while Geoffrey continued to console Elincia.

"Elincia again." Soren replied

Ike huffed. He knew this was hard on her, but this was getting ridiculous. If they didn't start moving, they would be next. And Elincia always seemed passive and reserved during the conflict with Ashnard; as if nothing affected her. The fall of one's kingdom can change a lot, as it turns out.

So the small force dropped their belongings for what seemed like the millionth time and got themselves comfortable. Thus far, it could take up to an hour to console Elincia before she was at the point where she could move again.

Ike was preparing himself for the worst. In fact, he was about to take a nap in a nearby patch of grass. But he got distracted before he could lie down.

"General Ike, can I have a word?" It was Tauroneo.

"Sure, Tauroneo, what is it?" Ike said, a little annoyed.

"Ike, I've been speaking with Jill, Zihark, and Haar, and we have come to a conclusion."

"That is?" Ike asked, confused.

"Well, I know we were headed for Begnion. I think that is a great idea. We will be much safer there. But I have come to the realization that my remaining troops in Daein will be in the dark. And we have such a small force there, they would be no match for Zadonia. General, will you come with me, Jill, Zihark and Haar to get the rest of Daein's troops, and bring them to Begnion thereafter?"

"Yeah, that probably should be done. But why do you need me to come?" Ike asked quizzically.

"Forgive me, General, but many of my troops…let's say…have hard feelings toward you after the war." Tauroneo said, searching for the right word.

"Well, I imagine they would. Frankly, I'd be dumbfounded if they weren't. I did destroy most of Daein's forces, and left much of your land in ruin."

"Crimea did send a lot of money to make up for the damaged land though." Tauroneo pointed out.

"Still, I don't know if that is a good idea. Being killed by my enemy I can bear. But I don't know if I could stand being killed by my allies…"

"Don't worry, Ike, none of them hate you that much. I think it would be good if they got to know you. So that they can come to realize that you are not a bad guy before they are forced to fight by your command."

"But what about the force you sent to Crimea?" Ike asked. "They seemed to follow my commands without question. Why is the rest of your force any different?"

"Well, Ike, I must admit, I hand-picked soldiers to go to Crimea based solely on their thoughts regarding you and Crimea."

"Wait, so you gave us all the Crimea-lovers, and left all the Ike-haters behind?"

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes."

"That is nothing to be ashamed of, Tauroneo. It was probably for the better…" Ike said thoughtfully. "But is it all right if I think about a decision first?"

"Yeah, sure." Tauroneo said. "Just tell me when you come up with a decision." And then Tauroneo turned on his heel and left, meeting up Zihark next to a nearby stream.

Meanwhile, a certain black-haired mage eyed the silver general leave suspiciously. As soon as Tauroneo was gone, Soren had his turn to talk with Ike.

"Ike, what was that about? What did Tauroneo want?"

"Soren, for goddesses' sake, sometimes you act like you're my mother." Ike replied grinning.

"I know, I'm sorry…"

"You don't need to apologize, Soren, I was just joking. Actually, I'm pretty glad I have somebody who watches my back. And makes sure that I don't do anything stupid."

"Yeah, without me, the latter would occur quite frequently…"

Ike shared a laugh with Soren. "You got that right; I'm always at a loss when it comes to tactics. My preferred tactic is my sword." He said grinning.

"Well, it's a good thing you have me, then. Now, care to tell me what happened?"

"Tauroneo wants me to go with him to Daein." Ike replied seriously.

"Why?"

"He still has half his force there, and he wants to mobilize them to Begnion." Ike replied.

"Actually, I was going to suggest the same thing. Though, I wasn't going to suggest that you go."

"Tauroneo says he wants his force to know that I am not a bad guy. He wants to build up their trust in me."

"Well, that is a good idea…But I don't know if it will work."

"I know. But it may be worth the risk. I don't know, I haven't given him my decision yet. I was going to sleep on it."

"Well, just remember Ike, their hate of Laguz runs deep. What if their hate of you is that deep?"

"I don't know about that, Soren." Ike replied doubtfully. "I don't know if Daeins could hate anything as much as they hate Laguz.

"Well, still, just watch out for yourself." Soren said cautiously. "And I meant to ask you earlier, what of the enemy commander? What is he like?"

"Oh, well, he didn't look that imposing, to tell you the truth. He was about four inches shorter than I am and he is not that strong. I would have killed him in a duel in a minute if it weren't for his strength in the magics."

"So, we got a first-class mage on our hands, huh?"

"Well, according to what Amaros said, they have two." Ike corrected.

"Two?" Soren asked quizzically.

"Yeah, he claimed that one of his generals is a better mage than he is."

"That's not good. Did you see either of them cast anything? How powerful are they?"

"Well, I guess you know who it was that cast the spell to encase Melior in ice?"

"I had my assumption, yes."

"Other than that, Amaros only cast one other spell. A wind spell."

"Was it powerful?" Soren asked again.

"Well, yes, but I've seen you cast a wind spell just as powerful. What really set me off was the fact that he could cast spells without a tome."

"He didn't use a tome?" Soren asked in disbelief.

"No." Ike replied. "He had his sword in one hand and cast the spell with the other, no tome in sight. And he is quick to cast a spell. One moment I was aiming a slash at him, the next I was being blasted back five feet."

"Excuse me." Soren said, stalking off.

Ike watched as Soren walked away and sat down on a nearby tree stump. He pulled out a book from his bag and began to read. Ike had always wondered what it was Soren read in those things.

Well, Elinica was still incapacitated with sobs, so they still weren't going anywhere, even with all the time he killed with talking. And probably not enough time to take a quick nap either. Close by, Ike saw Mist standing alone.

"Hey Mist." He said walking over to her and putting his arm around her.

"Ike, I'm taken!" She replied grinning, slapping him playfully on the chest.

"I know, I just need a place to rest my arm and you are the perfect height." He said smirking, earning another slap.

"Speaking of the lucky man," Ike continued. "Where is Boyd? I haven't seen him in a while."

Mist signaled to her left. There was Boyd, sleeping on the ground. He had previously been blocked from Ike's vision by a tree. "Pretty lazy, huh?"

"Well, you must be calling me lazy, then, because I was going to do the same thing. Except I was disrupted."

"So you come torment your little sister instead?"

"What better thing is there to do?" Ike replied innocently. Mist slapped him again.

Taking his arm off her, Ike asked seriously, "How are you holding up?"

After a little thought, Mist replied, "Better than Elincia."

"Well, that's a given." Ike said grinning. "Could you be more vague?"

"Well, you know, after what I was told about Zadonia, I expected to lose, so I had time to prepare for the inevitable. But I guess I always just assumed that Crimea would find a way to pull it off. Now that I have seen the sheer dominance Zadonia has over us, I'm not so sure anymore…"

"I know what you mean." Ike replied. "I used to think that Crimea was invincible. But if there is a way to hold Zadonia at bay, you can believe that I will find it."

"But I'm not so sure there is a way…" Mist said dismally.

Ike looked over and saw Geoffrey still struggling to console Elincia. "Well, at least we can count on plenty of time to search."

* * *

'_This is just too easy.'_Amaros thought, smirking to himself. Only a few days had passed since Crimea had fallen and began their conquest southward. Currently, they were fighting a small, weak force of beasts at the Crimea and Gallia border. They must have been somehow tipped that they were the next target, for they were standing there when the army arrived. But still, they proved no threat, and soon, they should be on the move again.

"Come on, Amaros, let me fight!" General Darod urged.

One of Amaros' three generals, Darod was menacing, to say the least. About seven feet tall, Darod had a big, muscular body and an axe big enough to make anybody scared.

"No." Amaros replied indifferently. "Not yet. But believe me, you will have your chance."

"But everyone is getting killed now! Wait too long and there will be nobody left for me to kill!"

"Listen, Darod, I've got something special in store for you. Just be patient. By the time this is over, you will have many kills."

"When? Commander, the way this is going so far, this war will be over within the month."

"Shut up, Darod! I will tell you your mission when we take Gallia!" Amaros huffed. The big brute was persistent; he had to give him that.

* * *

Around sundown of the second day, the company finally found some good fortune to smile about. On the side of the road they had been traveling on stood an abandoned fort. It was very big, but on the inside it wasn't very pleasant. Definitely better than the cold, hard ground outside, though. There were even enough rooms for everyone to get a room to themselves.

The kitchen proved to be in adequate shape, and Oscar was able to cook up some dinner. The food was good, as always, but the normal chatter that filled the room during a pleasant dinner was absent. Everyone sat in silence, some of the group not even eating, but staring down at it gloomily.

Ike was one of those many. He didn't have much of an appetite, not since he knew of the destruction that Zadonia would bring to the land of Tellius. Everyone at the dinner table had been affected. The once light-hearted Ranulf had become gloomy. The cheery and optimistic Mia had quiet and somber. And Mist, who always talked so much it sometimes got annoying, had probably spoke all of about ten sentences in the past two days.

But the most affected, other than Elincia, had been Lethe. She hadn't been caught saying a word since the battle and had resorted to being by herself at all times. Even during the march out of Crimea, she sulked by herself at the back of the pack. A couple of times, Ranulf had gone back to try to talk to her, but each he got back and said, "Don't go back there, she is not in a good mood." Nobody wanted to delve any farther than that, and decided to let her walk alone.

And the worst part was that she was still avoiding Ike. He wanted to know why she did it, but she would not speak to him. But he had not forced her to talk. That would do nothing but vanquish any trust she had in him.

And tonight was no different for Lethe. She was nowhere in sight, probably eating alone in her room.

After a few more minutes of staring at his food without ever touching it, Ike politely and quietly excused himself from the table and returned to his room.

'_Why, Goddesses? Why start another war? We just got out of one; we don't need another. What did we do to deserve this?'_

It walked over to his window and looked out it. It was like the Goddesses were taunting them, creating such a beautiful sunset in the midst of such destruction.

He continued to look out the window even after the sun disappeared on the other side of the horizon and the rest of the mercenaries headed to their room as well. He was so tuned into the scene before him that he had not even heard his door open and close.

Sighing, Ike turned around to get ready for what would probably be another sleepless night. But instead, he found himself almost face to face with Lethe.

"Lethe!" Ike exclaimed. "We missed you at dinner."

Ignoring this, Lethe said, "Ike, I-I'm ready to talk."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You don't have to say anything, you know. And I will promise you that I will not say a word to anybody." Ike said reassuringly.

"I-I know. But this is just something I have to get off my chest."

"All right, Lethe, if you are sure. Just remember, whatever you tell me I will not hold against you. I will not think any differently of you."

"It's true, Ike. Everything he said. I betrayed you. I betrayed Crimea." Lethe confessed.

"I see. Well, I stand by my word. I will not hold this against you, nor will I tell anybody, unless you wish it. But I just have to know, Lethe. Why? Do you hate Crimea? Do you hate me?" Ike asked.

"No, never! Well, I thought I did, at the time…But Ike," She continued, half sobbing. "I made a huge mistake! As infuriating you may be, I could never hate you."

Ike couldn't help but smirk at this. "Coming from you, I'll take that as a complement. What did you tell them?" He asked indifferently, hoping to make it seem like it was not a big deal.

Lethe looked down at her feet, too ashamed to respond.

"I'm sorry, Lethe," Ike consoled. "I know this must be hard on you. But I have to know what the enemy knows, so that I can prepare."

"I told them everything! Your fighting habits, your friends names and looks, the location of the fort…They asked for information about you and I told them I everything I knew." She said, on the verge of tears.

Ike could tell she was deeply remorseful, and she wanted a shot at redemption. But she had screwed up big time. Now the enemy has all this information about him, and Ike still, essentially, had no idea who was attacking Tellius.

Ike laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Lethe. We'll get through this."

Lethe then lost it. Taking a step forward, she wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. Like a lost and confused son clings to his mother, Lethe clung to him and cried her regret away.

Ike returned the consoling hug, not knowing what to do except pat her on the back and murmur 'It's alright,' every few seconds.

He hated to see her like this. Ever since he had first met Lethe, she had been emotionally tough, at least, on the outside, that's what it looked like. She never let anything that was affecting her show. But this must be one obstacle that proved to be too great, even for her.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Lethe began to regain her composure.

"All better?"

"I think so." She muttered into his shoulder, she clutching onto him with surprising force.

"One last question, Lethe. Why did you stop? From what that Amaros said, you stopped relaying information. What made you stop?"

"You." She said simply.

"Me?" Ike asked, puzzled. "But I just now found out. How could I have told you to stop?"

"Not like that!" She huffed. Finally finding the strength to pull away, she took a step backwards, out of his embrace. "What I mean is; you inspired me to stop."

"How so?"

"After that little battle we had with the weak army, back at the fort, I realized the selflessness with which you were fighting. I saw that you cared more for your sister and the rest of us than your own well-being. And that was also when I noticed the totally selfish act I was committing."

"And that's when you stopped?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm proud of you, Lethe. You turned away from temptation while you still could. Who knows what could have happened…"

"Yeah, well," Lethe said, not wanting to stay on that topic. "I'm getting pretty tired."

Ike yawned. The thought of a nice, warm bed did sound inviting…

Lethe opened the door to leave. But before leaving she said, "And Ike?"

"Yes?"

"You tell anybody about what happened in here and considered yourself dead." She closed the door upon saying that.

Ah, Lethe's pride. Always a tricky obstacle that got in the way of everything she did.

But, perhaps by some instinct, Ike was thinking that she was not talking about what _she_ did particularly, but rather, what _they_ did, together…

* * *

"King, we must get out of here! The palace is being overwhelmed!"

Warning roars from Gallia's beasts could be heard for miles as the Zadonian army marched for the palace. The beasts may fight differently than all the enemies that Zadonia's forces were used to, but the sheer numbers of the assault left Gallia defenseless.

"King, we must leave, now!" Giffca repeated.

King Caineghis finally began to stir and took aware of his surroundings. It still looked to be in the early hours of the morning, as the sun hadn't even emerged from behind the horizon yet.

"King, we're under attack! We need to get out of here!" Giffca urged once more.

"What are you talking about?" Caineghis asked, irked that he had been woken up so early.

"Zadonia is upon us, my Liege! We must get out of here!"

Caineghis needed no further explanation. He got up out of bed, grabbed a few essentials, and then bolted out the door with Giffca.

"To where?" The King asked.

"Goldoa." Giffca replied. In unison, both Giffca and Caineghis transformed into their beast forms and began to run with the thousands of other Laguz on their move toward the great dragon nation.

* * *

The group packed up and left the old, abandoned fort early the next morning. Ike wanted to reach the Great Bridge to Daein within two days, if at all possible, where he had decided to part ways.

While at the fort, Ike had decided to go with Tauroneo to Daein to get the troops. Tauroneo claimed that the trip shouldn't add but about a week or so. But with the speed at which Zadonia was advancing, Zadonia might beat them to Sienne, capital of Begnion.

Elincia was starting to come along. Her little intermissions were becoming much less frequent and much shorter as well. She was still quiet and reserved, but she was making great progress.

Lethe, too, was on the road to getting better. She no longer stalked off at the back of the pack, though she, like Elincia, still did not converse with too many people. She didn't insult anybody that much anymore. Though Ike knew that was the best she could do. Insulting is just a part of Lethe being Lethe.

And altogether, the company was doing alright, considering what had happened. They were not optimistic about the war, but they certainly weren't pessimistic anymore. There was at least some hope there.

Apart from Soren and Tauroneo, Ike had yet to tell anybody that he was going to leave them for a little while. He knew to hear that would crush any hope they have regain.

But he would have to tell them soon. The company had just stopped to eat and rest for the night, and, perhaps by tomorrow evening, they would reach the bridge separates Crimea and Begnion. The group planned to head south from there, but Ike was going to have to cross it.

Ike looked around and smiled to himself. If it weren't for all the extra people and the unfamiliar setting, Ike would have thought it was just another mercenary cookout outside their fort. They had gotten many fires going, the only source of light in the otherwise pitch black night.

Groups of around five huddled around each of the fires, eating some fruit Soren and Oscar and few other helping hands had scavenged from the woods.

As everyone finished up their meals, one by one, they began to go to bed. Ike himself thought that he was the last to go to bed. He had stayed up for quite a long time, just thinking.

He still wasn't really tired, but he decided he'd try to get some shut-eye. That is, until he noticed that someone else was still up. Nearby, Ike saw Ranulf sitting down, leaning on a tree trunk.

"Something wrong, Ranulf?" Ike asked quietly, so that he would not wake anybody up.

Ranulf shook his head, continuing to stare into space.

"What's up?" Ike asked, concerned.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"Me too. What about?"

Ranulf waited a moment before answering. "Ike?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think happens after this?" Ranulf asked mysteriously.

"What do you mean?" Ike replied, puzzled.

"What happens when we pass on? Where do we go? Is there anywhere to go?"

Ike had to think about that one. "I don't know. I'm sure the goddesses have a plan for us, but other than that…"

Judging from the expression of Ranulf's face, illuminated by the light of the fire, that was the same conclusion he had come to. He sighed and looked up at the sky for inspiration.

Ike too looked up at the sky. It was a cloudless night and millions of stars glittered in the dark. "Why? You don't plan on dying on me, do you?"

"Well, just with this whole war, it's just matter of time. They are just too strong, too numerous, too dominating. We should just surrender now. It would save lives and our dignity." Ranulf said dismally.

"Don't give up yet, Ranulf! I need you."

"I know." Ranulf sighed. "I know. I'm not giving up yet. Just rationalizing. Forget I said anything, Ike.

Silence ensued. "What were you thinking about, Ike?" Ranulf asked, breaking the silence.

"You know I would never leave you or anybody in this company, right?"

"Yeah, of course." Ranulf responded. "I have never seen you put anything before yourself before. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing." Ike sighed. "I'm just trying to figure out a way that I can convince everyone that before I change up the plans a little."

"'Change up the plans'? What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell anybody yet, Ranulf, because nobody else knows. I'm going with Tauroneo to pick up the rest of Daein's troops. It will add at least a week on my journey to Sienne."

"I see. Well, just tell everyone the truth." Ranulf suggested. "They'll believe you."

"I don't know, Ranulf. All this uncertainty of the war we are in has made everyone tense. They might not believe a word I say, thinking it is just a ploy to keep myself alive at the expense of their lives."

"Well, even so," Ranulf continued, realizing the predicament Ike was in. "Let a couple of them not believe you. So what? I believe you. Almost everyone will believe you. And the rest will believe you when you arrive at Sienne."

"I know. But it is just disheartening that some of them might not have faith in me or in our chances to win this war."

"You've gotten through worse, Ike, and you can get through this. Show everyone that you deserve their trust."

"Yeah, I know…" Ike said, sighing.

"When you're off in Daein, just remember that I still believe in you."

"Thanks, Ranulf." Ike said sincerely.

"Don't mention." It was getting very late, Ranulf soon noticed. "Perhaps we should try to get some shut-eye?"

"Sounds good to me."

But as hard as the two tried to get some rest, neither was able to sleep a wink that night.

* * *

The company had reached the bridge in the waning hours of the next evening, as Ike had predicted. It was time to tell everyone, no matter how much Ike would dislike the anticipated reactions.

Ike walked up to Tauroneo before he was going to make his announcement. "Bear with me, Tauroneo. I haven't told them yet."

The silver general watched Ike make his way to the front of the group, chuckling to himself. He himself knew that a couple of Ike's friends were known to overreact, and he could understand the apprehension he must be going through.

"Alright, if you all could stop and listen for a minute, I have something to say." Ike announced, waiting for the chatter to die down.

"What's the hold up, boss?" Mia asked.

"Yeah, Ike," Boyd added, grinning. "I thought you wanted us to get to Begnion sooner rather than later."

"Change of plans." Ike replied, silencing any and all questions that were popping up.

"What do you mean?" Mist asked fearfully.

"Wait, let me rephrase that. You all have the same plan, but Tauroneo, Jill, Haar, Zihark, and I will have a major change."

"What, are you leaving us?" Shinon asked angrily. "After all we have done? You're giving up now?"

"I am going with Tauroneo to Daein to recruit the rest of their troops. I will then meet up with you in Sienne." Ike announced hesitantly.

As Ranulf had predicted, most everybody seemed to believe him, judging by the looks on their faces. But a few did not seem as believing.

"That's weak, Ike." Geoffrey said, irked.

"Yeah," Shinon agreed. "How could you leave us?"

"Well, if you just want to save your own hide, go ahead and get out of my sight." Geoffrey added.

"Cut him some slack, you two." Soren put in. "Have you ever seen Ike back down from a challenge? No? That's because he never flees just because the going is getting rough. He is, and always will be, loyal to us." Ike smiled over at Soren gratefully.

"Ready?" Ike heard Tauroneo whisper in his ear.

"One more thing." Ike replied. He did not want to burden himself with good-byes for all his friends; that would be too unbearable. But there was one thing that he wanted to say to the princess of Crimea to, if anything, give her hope.

"Elincia, may I have a word with you privately?" Ike asked humbly.

Geoffrey, who had been standing next to the princess, took a defensive step in front of Elincia.

"Back off! Elincia has nothing to say to those who betray her country!" He said angrily.

"Stop it, Geoffrey." Elincia said, walking away from the group and toward the woods on the side of the path and beckoning Ike to follow.

Geoffrey was about to take a step toward stopping Ike from talking to Elincia, but he was held up by his sister's hand on his shoulder.

"Let them go." Lucia said.

"What are you doing Lucia?" Geoffrey asked angrily. "I need to protect Elincia!"

"Geoffrey, stop it. You know as well as I do that Ike is not going to desert us."

"But Lucia, you heard him yourself! He's leaving us!"

"Ike does not lie, Geoffrey. He is in command of all of Crimea's forces, plus all the ones that were given to him by Gallia, Phoenicis, Begnion, and Daein. These are just troops that Daein is giving him, and he is going to mobilize them to Sienne."

Geoffrey did not answer, but continued to eye Ike suspiciously.

Meanwhile, Elincia finally thought that they were far enough away to avoid anybody from hearing them. "What is it, Ike?"

"Elincia, I'll be brief with this." Ike started. "I will find a way to save your kingdom."

"No, Ike, you have done so much already…"

"If Crimea is not under your control, then apparently I have not done enough. Look, Elincia, I don't know what is going to happen in the next couple of weeks, but I do want you to know that I will be doing everything in my ability to help save Crimea." He finished, putting a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"My lord Ike, you don't know how much that means to me." Elincia said, putting her hand on top of his hand.

Ike smiled a genuine smile. "Just letting you know that I will stop at nothing to save Crimea." He grabbed her hand from on top of his hand and brought it to his lips. "Thank you, my Princess."

"Thank you, my Lord Ike." She said as he began to walk off.

"Ready yet?" Tauroneo asked teasingly as Ike returned.

"Yep, let's get this over with."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, all! Sorry about the long wait for the update. So much goes on in the months of January and part of February, at least for me. Anyway, here's the update. It is on the shorter side, but here you go. Hope you like it! Read and review(if you want to) =) **

* * *

**Chapter 7**

From the bridge, the walk to Nevassa was not very long. The small force had reached it in a day and a half or so. And upon seeing Tauroneo, the guards allowed the small group immediate access to the castle.

The castle was very different from the last time Ike had seen it. As Ike recalled, Nevassa had been a complete wreck the last time he was here.

In the end, war destroys all in its path.

Ike wasn't the type of person who liked to see destruction on such a massive level. But there was no avoiding it if Crimea was to be saved. And, in a way, destruction of Daein had to occur for Daein to rid itself of the menace that was Ashnard. Anything correlated with Ashnard had to be disposed of before Daein could get back on its feet. And that meant his castle, his men, everything.

But rebuilding was coming along quite nicely, all things considered. Damaged walls were being renovated and improved while the debris that had been left over was almost completely cleaned up; save for the huge slabs of stone wall that littered the streets, for they were still figuring out exactly to do with all that damaged stone.

"Wow." Ike said as the small group entered the castle. "Rebuilding is really coming along very nicely, Tauroneo."

"Yes," Tauroneo replied with pride. "The townsfolk have really put a lot of effort into setting this castle straight again. And all the money that Crimea has given us has done wonders as well. Daein is back on its feet!"

"So, where are the rest of your troops?" Ike asked, eager to start the journey to Begnion.

"Patience, Ike. I would like to talk to you in my room first. Can you spare a minute or two?"

"Oh, alright," Ike replied impatiently. "Lead the way."

"We'll be right back, Zihark." Tauroneo said.

Tauroneo turned around began walking down a hallway, Ike a step behind. Zihark smirked as he watched them leave. He knew exactly what Tauroneo planned on doing.

They went up a few flights of stairs a down another long hallway before the two made it to what Ike assumed to be Tauroneo's room.

"Ike," Tauroneo said, shutting the door. "I have something very important to tell you."

"Go ahead." Ike said, wanting to make this as quick as possible.

"Ike, I have lied to you."

Ike was dumbfounded. "What are you talking about? Is there no force here? What are you trying to pull, Tauroneo?" Ike finished with more than just a touch of anger in his voice.

"No, there is a force, and I intend to mobilize them, but none of them have any hard feelings for you."

"What are you talking about? This is Daein, there has to people who hate me!"

"Surely you have wondered why Daein's numbers are so little, Ike?"

"It was because of the war, right?"

"In essence, yes…" Tauroneo said thoughtfully. "But not in the way you are thinking. When Ashnard died, all of his supporters in our army left us, knowing that we'd join back up with Crimea with alliances and trade. More than twenty thousand left us to go back to their farms and families. And with our government in shambles, we had no way to stop them."

"Well, so what? If they all like me, then that would just make it easier for me to move them quickly and efficiently." Ike replied.

Tauroneo grinned at the young commander's ineptitude when it came to thinking things out. "Think about it, Ike. If they all are happy with you and will obey you, why would I need you here to soften up to them?"

"Hey, yeah! What are you trying to do, Tauroneo?" Ike asked, anger rising.

"Ike, it's like I said to start this conversation, I need to tell you something very important."

"Something that needs to be said within the confines of Nevassa? Tauroneo, you can't just separate me from my friends like that!" Ike said outraged. "You could have said whatever you need to say at any time during the trip from Melior!"

"Yes," Tauroneo replied calmly. "but, I would not have gotten the chance to show you what I have to show you. Just calm down, Ike, I guarantee that you will not be angry with me after all is said and done."

"Fine." Ike said reluctantly. "I'll hear you out."

"Thank you, Ike." Tauroneo began. "I was supposed to tell you this right before you were to marry, but I don't know what is going to happen with this war. I have to tell you now, for I might not get another chance." He paused."Your father was a smart man, Ike. He had known he was going to die almost a year before it happened."

"My father?" Ike's ears perked up, and suddenly forgot all anger at Tauroneo. "He did?"

"Yes. He was very perceptive. As generals of Daein, I learned to respect General Gawain. He was a smart, tough man. Never gave up. But when he left to arch-enemy Crimea, I was sure that I would never see him again, safe for on a battlefield. That is why I was surprised to see him again on my doorstep about a week before Daein initially attacked Crimea."

"He did? But wait a minute, I don't remember him ever telling anyone he was going to Daein! How could he go see you, Tauroneo?"

"Ike, that's the point. He didn't want you to know yet. And even with his massive size and strangth, Greil was sly at times, and was quick on his feet. I'm sure he could have made it to my place and back in the time it took to complete one of the missions he used to do alone as a mercenary."

"Alright, alright. Fine, I believe you, can you tell me what he wanted me to know now?" Ike asked eagerly.

Tauroneo smirked. "Anxious, are we? Well, he confronted me before the war began and said to me;"

'Tauroneo, my good friend, I am going to die. Don't be scared, we knew this was going to happen all along, remember? I need you to tell my son something for me. Sometime after I die, tell him that I love him. That his persistence, leadership, finesse with a blade and every other quality he possesses make me proud to call him my son. Tell him this, for I did not tell him enough during my lifetime.'

As Tauroneo's voice died down, his words continued to live on in Ike's head. Indeed, Ike couldn't remember a time in which his father had spoken such beautiful words about Ike. The words began to take effect on Ike, and he struggled to suppress the tears welling up in his eyes.

"He…He said that?" Ike asked.

"Yes, maybe not exactly that for it has been a while and I have long since forgotten his original quote. But he did say that, and he also told me one more thing. He told me to give you two things, two objects that were of great importance to Greil."

Tauroneo walked over to a nearby table that had on top of it a ring and a necklace.

"This first one," Tauroneo said, picking up the ring and placing it in Ike outstretched hand. The ring was a simple gold band. Not very ornate, but Ike still handled it as if it were worth all the money in the world "Is your family heirloom. For generations, your family has passed this on, and now it resides with you. Take good care of it, for that is the very same ring that Elena wore to her wedding. This is the reason why Greil wanted to wait to give this to you until your wedding."

"This next one is a bit different." Tauroneo said, picking up the medallion and looking at it mysteriously. It was a simple bronze medallion, with circles carved one inside the other, until the one at the center was just a dot. "This used to be your father's good luck charm. He wore this everywhere he went, and never lost a duel with it on. The only duel he ever lost was the only duel that he didn't wear this medallion to; he gave this to me a few days before confronting the Black Knight. Though it has no seen magic infused in it, he did some lucky things with it on. Wear it with pride."

He put the medallion around Ike's neck.

"When Elena was still alive," Tauroneo continued. "Greil used to wear that medallion as a counterpart to the one Elena wore. He didn't want her to feel alone, so he got his own burden to bear, so to speak."

"Thank you, Tauroneo." Ike said sincerely. "I never would have known that my father thought that way."

"Ike, while your father was living, he was so engrossed with his work, he may not have been able to be a good father to you and Mist. But never forget that you two meant the world to Greil."

Ike nodded.

"Alright, well that's all I need to say. How about we go round up the troops so we can depart?" Tauroneo proposed.

"Go ahead and round them up. But give me a minute, could you, alone?"

Tauroneo knew this must be a lot to take in for the young commander. "Sure thing. Take your time."

Ike didn't know what to think. It was definitely not on list of things that he had expected Tauroneo to say when he called him in here. Without knowing it, Ike got up out of his chair and walked over to the balcony overlooking much of Nevassa.

Distractledly, Ike noticed a slight 'clang' noise emitting from underneath his shirt. Figuring it was his new medallion, Ike reached into his shirt to bring it out. But he found that there were two necklaces: his medallion and the sister stone to the one he had given to Mist.

He had almost completely forgotten about the stone. Since the siblings had never been separated, they have never had to use it. But this was definitely a time in which Ike needed the emotional support only his sister could give him.

But he still had no idea as to how to work the stone. "Mist?" Ike asked tentatively into the stone, hoping it would work. "Are you there?" He waited for an answer.

After a moment or two, Ike was about to try again when he heard his sister's voice coming from out of the stone. "Ike? What's wrong?" She asked through the stone.

Ike grinned halfheartedly. "Wow. I must be going mental. Talking to a stone…" He said.

"Are you going to shut up and tell me what's wrong? Or should I just take off this stone and walk away now?" Mist asked, concerned.

Ike got serious again. "Is there anybody near you?"

"Well," The stone replied. "I'm alone in my room with Boyd right now. Want me to ask him to leave?" Boyd's barely audible reply, "Hey!", emitted from the stone when she had finished.

"No, it's alright, let him stay."

"Well, alright." Replied Mist's voice, accompanied by Boyd's, "Yes!"

"What is it that you want to tell me, Ike?" said Mist's voice.

"Mist," Ike paused, trying to think of the right words. "He loved me! He loved us!"

"Ike, you're talking crazy here. Who are you talking about?"

"Father!" Ike replied, becoming once again a little teary-eyed. "I'll tell you the full story when I get to Begnion, but basically, Tauroneo lied about untrusting troops to get me to come to Daein so that he could tell me that father loved us."

"He took you away from us to tell you that?" Mist's voice replied a little angrily. "Ike, surely you already knew that?"

"He never told me…" Ike mumbled into the stone.

"He didn't have to tell us, Ike. You could tell from all that he did for us that he did care for us greatly."

"Yeah, I know, it's just reinforcing to be told so." Ike sighed.

"Ike, we just got called down for dinner, but before I go, let me just tell you that father never did anything to harm us. And he did everything to help us. If that's not love, I don't know what is."

"Yeah, you're right, thanks Mist." Ike sighed again. "I'll see you in a couple of days."

* * *

"Ah, the Beast King. How does it feel to be sent off to slavery? Bit of a step down from being at the top of the monarchy, isn't it?" Amaros smirked. King Caineghis, King Dheginsea, and about two thousand other beast and dragon survivors had finally surrendered not too long ago.

"You will never get away with this! Ike will stop you!" Caineghis roared, his voice full of conviction and pride.

"Fool! Your hero is dead! You have no hope of being free again." Amaros snarled.

"He is not dead and he will put an end to you!"

"I don't have time to debate with you about your dead hero." Amaros said then whispered to Hogan right next to him along with his other generals, "Shackle these prisoners and assign a couple hundred men to escort them back to where our ships are docked and ship them over to Zadonia. There, they can sell them to the slave exchange in Dynastia. They will probably get top dollar for the sub-humans."

"Yes, sir." Hogan whispered back.

"Tomorrow we depart for Phoenicis."

Hogan, Aileana and Darod turned to leave.

"Except for you, Darod." Amaros added.

Darod turned to face Amaros again. "Sir?" He asked quizzically.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten my little plan for you, Darod."

"Huh?" Darod asked confused. He never was the brightest guy. "Oh yeah! What would you have me kill, sir?"

"While the rest of us are attacking Phoenicis, I want you to lead your troops to Begnion. There are plenty of troops for you to kill there."

"Finally, some action! Thank you, sir!" Darod said, bowing. "Thank you!"

"That is all. Get your men ready to move."

* * *

Sienne surely was a grand castle. It had been a while since Mist had last been there, but in that time, it had not lost any of its grandiose nature, even in this time of war. Daily life among the citizens was going along smoothly, and apart from the fact that everyone was so tense about the war, one could not distinguish anything amiss.

Upon arrival to the castle, Apostle Sanaki immediately recognized the small group and urged them to some vacant rooms. They had plenty of empty rooms, so they only had to room two to a room. Even Lethe grudgingly decided to room with Ranulf, though she made sure there were two beds before she agreed. And since they only had two to a room, Mist roomed with her fiancée.

"Mist, what's wrong?" He asked. Mist had dumped her stuff on the ground of her room and now sat on the bed looking down at her feet. He sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"It's just…I've never really ever been separated from Ike before. He has always been there for me. But now that he's gone, I'm worried for both of us. We need each other."

"Mist, you don't need to worry about him. Ike…he's tough. He can get through anything short of a thick stone wall. You don't need to worry about him. And," He added, smirking. "you got me, so you don't need to worry about yourself."

"Yeah, but, I almost feel lonely without him."

"Well, that's natural. He's your brother; of course you're going to miss him."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…"

All of a sudden, a low, hesitant voice emitted from the small stone dangling below her neck.

* * *

Once Ike had finished speaking with Mist, he decided that he had made everybody else wait long enough. He walked back down to the entrance hall immediately.

"Ready?" Tauroneo asked when Ike had arrived to the scene.

"All set." Ike replied. "Where's the army?"

"Just outside the castle walls. Armed and ready to mobilize by your commands."

"Well, let's not make them wait any longer. The sooner we get to Begnion, the better chance we have for surviving this war."

"Nicely said. Alright, Zihark, Jill, Haar, let's move out." The small group walked toward the entrance door, but Ike was dragging behind. He wanted to say one more thing to Tauroneo, alone.

And as expected, when Tauroneo noticed Ike wasn't up there with them, he stayed back and asked, "Everything alright there, Ike?"

"Thanks again, Tauroneo." Ike said sincerely.

"No problem, bud." Tauroneo replied grinning and ruffling Ike's hair. "So you plan on walking this slow all the way there? 'Cause if you do, you would make it to Begnion anytime soon."

"Aww, man, Tauroneo, why'd you have to do that? Now my hair is all messed up."

"It looks fine, stop acting like a baby." Tauroneo smirked. "Come on, let's go, I thought you said that you didn't want to make the army wait any longer?"

"Fine, fine, let's go. On to Begnion!"

* * *

Ranulf woke up one morning and walked down to the dining room for breakfast as he always had in the few days that he had been in Sienne castle. Everything was the same as usual except that there seemed to be a big commotion coming from the entrance hall. Deciding his curiosity was stronger than his hunger at the moment, he went to check it out.

"Tibarn!" Ranulf exclaimed as he saw his saw his Laguz friend having a conversation with Empress Sanaki. He ran over to where the two were standing. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to check on your people?" He asked cheerily. He considered Tibarn one of his better friends, but had not seen him since the battle of Melior.

"Ranulf, how dare you! We were trying to have a conversation!" Sanaki exclaimed.

"It's alright Sanaki. We'll resume this later." Tibarn said. Sanaki humphed and walked away, still agitated. "Well, Ranulf, long time no see, eh?" He grinned.

"What do you mean? It's only been, like, a week." Ranulf said grinning

"That's too long if you ask me." Tibarn smirked.

"You still haven't answered my question. How are the rest of your people?"

"Well, I couldn't find them. And in this case, that is a good thing, because it means that they all are already in hiding."

"That's good. What about the rest of your army?"

"I've told them to come here to aid Begnion. They should be here soon."

"Yeah, Soren figured you'd do that."

"Well, the enemy was right on our doorstep! There is nothing we can do with the numbers we've got!"

"What?" Ranulf exclaimed. "Zadonia has reached you already?"

"No, we left two days ago, and they had just finished up with a battle with Goldoa and Gallia, according to Ulki's ears.

Ranulf thought back to his king and his country. "Finished up? What do you mean by that?" He asked nervously.

Tibarn knew this was going to be difficult to say. "Sorry to tell you this Ranulf, but they were no match. The combined force was completely wiped out, save a couple hundred slaves. Caineghis, Giffca, and Dheginsea all survived luckily, but that's all that went right…"

"No! It can't be!" Ranulf exclaimed.

"I'm very sorry, Ranulf…"

"No, I've let my king down. I should have been there with him, I should have helped him…" Ranulf said frantically.

"Ranulf, stop this nonsense. There I nothing that only one man could have done. They were outnumbered almost fifteen to one. They would have been able to win only if they had thousands more men. Stop blaming this on yourself."

"But, Tibarn…"

"No buts. This is not your fault, Ranulf." Ranulf stopped his bickering, but continued looking ashamed. "Come on, I'm hungry, let's get something to eat." Tibarn added.

* * *

"So, that's about it, Empress." Tibarn said. He had finished his breakfast with Ranulf, but decided it was time to face Sanaki again.

"So, basically, you ran right to Begnion, bringing Zadonia with you?"

"Empress, you make it sound so bad on my part. We only have about five thousand soldiers in our small country, how are we supposed to take on a hundred thousand?"

"I understand, but do you have to bring them here?"

"Empress, Begnion has the best shot of taking down Zadonia. You have the biggest, most experienced army. We are merely sending you our help. And, also, I managed to convince Naesala and the ravens to enter the war on our side as well."

"Well, alright, you guys can stay. But we don't have enough spare rooms in the castle. You're going to have to find some place to stay in the city."

"Thank you, Empress Sanaki."

* * *

All of the mercenaries had received news that Tibarn and Naesala and their respective countries were coming to help in the coming battle. While this cheered them up a little bit, an overwhelming sense of dread had also came with it when they heard of the numbers they were up against. It seemed that Zadonia was going with its full army in the battle.

Mist and Boyd were talking with each other, alone it their room, on that very subject.

"With all those men we're up against, we are really going to have to give it all, and more." Mist said, determined.

"Yeah, about that, Mist…" Boyd paused. He knew Mist wasn't going to take this all that well. "Mist, I don't want you going out on that battlefield."

"What? But I need to help you! Why?" She was taking it better than Boyd had expected. She seemed more curious than angry.

"Mist, I love you, and I have to protect you."

Now she seemed a little irritated. "I love you, too, and I need to protect you!" She said.

"Please don't make this hard for me, Mist. I love you too much to just let you die here with the rest of us."

"And what makes you think that we are going to lose?"

"Mist, this is Zadonia we are talking about. All who stands up against her will die!"

"Boyd, just answer me this. How do you think I would get on without you?"

"You'll still have your brother." Boyd pointed out.

"No, I won't, he'll do the same shit you are doing right now! Then I'll be alone. How do you think I would feel if my husband to-be, brother, and everyone else I love died; vanquished from my life but implanted still on my heart? How would I go on?" Mist said angrily, voice rising.

"But Mist, I would be able to die at peace knowing that at least you survived."

"Boyd, with all the emotional distress that would happen if I were to do this, I'd just kill myself to return to you and Ike and everyone else! How would that make you feel? A heroic death in battle, in my opinion, would be much preferred over a self-death of shame and grief."

Boyd looked in her eyes. They were starting to water over just as his were. He pulled her into a loving embrace. "Is that really what you want?" Boyd asked softly.

"I would like nothing more." Mist replied quietly.

* * *

"Sir, it seems they are not there." Hogan said.

Amaros had sent scouts across the sea to the islands of Phoenicis and Kilvas to check for their army. Not too long ago, they had returned, with the news that nobody was there.

Darod and his men were already on the move. By now, Amaros deduced, they should be a day or two from Sienne. But Amaros and the rest of the army had taken a detour by the bird Laguz nations after their huge victory over the beast and dragon Laguz in Goldoa. Just to check for stragglers.

It was a big statement victory for Amaros. Now with only one major city left to take, and with the enemies' moral as low as it was, Tellius was all but won in the name of Zadonia.

"Good." Amaros smirked. "I like it my prey plays hard to get. It makes the kill all that more pleasing."


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, I don't have much to say, so enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The medallion intrigued Ike more and more with each day he wore it. The ring was easy to figure out; to be given to his future wife. But the medallion was much harder to figure out. Where is it made from? Where did father get it? Many questions of that sort popped into Ike's head every once in a while. But there was one question standing out in his mind, more than any question surrounding the medallion.

'_Why do I feel so…'_ But the thought ended there. There was no one word that accurately described what he was feeling like. Light-hearted was close. He was feeling easy-going, hopeful, full of enthusiasm, and, to put it bluntly, just plain _good_.

At this particular moment in time, Ike sat in his room, fiddling with the medallion. It looked normal. It felt the way you would expect. And all together, it looked very ordinary.

'_Why do I feel so…'_ Back to the question. He knew that he felt changed in some way, but try as he might, Ike could not find out how he had changed.

This medallion possessed something, Ike was sure of that. How else could he feel this way when he saw Death, dressed in the colors of Zadonia, beckoning him to the gates between the living and the dead? None of that scared him, nor did it even affect him in any way.

Zadonia was just another aggressor, right? Just another group of people like the people of Tellius; they were still human. They could be beat.

But that was as far as that train of thought would go. The war had barely even intruded on his thoughts since he had gotten the medallion. Though one thought that was caused by the war did plague his mind.

Mist. Boyd. All his friends now in Begnion. Were they alright? He hadn't heard anything in the week since they separated, though he surmised that was a good thing. Had he heard something, it would probably mean something bad had happened.

And he had just about enough bad stuff happen to him in his lifetime. Sometimes, he yearned for a normal life; one where he was the source of inspiration of a great number of people. The beacon of hope for all of Tellius.

Ike and what was left of Daein's forces had crossed the Begnion border not even a day ago. From where they were now, it was maybe a two day march to Sienne. They were close, but that didn't keep Ike from worrying about them.

* * *

Begnion barely had any time to prepare before Zadonia made its move. It was in the early hours in the morning and everyone was still asleep when they showed up.

Zadonia did nothing to try to hide their arrival. They recited their war chant as loud as they possibly could, and the clatter of their armor rang in the distance.

But this is not what announced their arrival for Mist. She was lying awake with her eyes open when she noticed an ominous orange glow coming from her window. Before she went to inspect, she knew what it was.

And sure enough, what she saw was thousands of men carrying torches, appearing from behind the horizon.

* * *

Hogan was starting to get a little annoyed.

Before attacking Tellius, Amaros had been open to other ideas. It had always been about the group. Achieving the goal as a team. He may have used some uncelebrated tactics, but they got the job done, with _they _being the operative word there.

But lately he had become stubborn, selfish, and, to put it bluntly, power-hungry. Twice in the four battles that they had fought so far, Amaros had refused to follow his advice. Melior had been one of those denials, but they were able to get away with it due to the lack of men defending Melior. But this is way different.

Admittedly, his new tactics got the job done…

But so much is at stake with this upcoming battle with Begnion, and Hogan's proposed plan would eliminate the biggest threat to Zadonia without much loss of life.

But with Amaros being the hothead that he has become, of course he had waved it off.

This simply stumped Hogan. When you have such a powerful object in you possession, why not use it on your most powerful enemy?

Perhaps he wanted to show his military superiority over Tellius. Maybe he was trying to establish himself, show that he had the final say. Hogan found these to be the most plausible explanations.

Or maybe he has just gone mad.

And also, why send Darod out with just twenty thousand men? Why even send him off? He may not even have enough men to take Begnion. They should have waited for the full force to reach Sienne. The attack would be quicker, more efficient, and without unnecessary loss of life.

But Hogan had long since learned to keep his complaining to himself. He has just resigned himself to the fact that Amaros is the boss, and everything always goes the boss' way. Even if nobody else likes it.

* * *

All together, the battle preparation for Begnion did not go over well. Everyone was tired and hungry, so it was slow and sloppy. But eventually, everyone made it down to the wall, where they found the Zadonian army waiting for them. It wasn't as big by any means. It was obviously not their entire army.

But, from what they were able to deduce in the dark of dawn, it was still a huge army, and not a battle to take lightly. Even if they only had a small army now, they still had about a hundred thousand all together; scattered somewhere in Tellius.

What a way to start a day.

"There is no way that is a man…" Mist whispered to herself.

Emerging from the core of the massive force was the shadow of enormous stature. It was head and shoulders above the rest of the men, and perhaps two people wide. And in his hand was the shadow of an axe as big as his torso.

Though she couldn't see his mouth move at all due to the darkness and the amount of distance from him, Mist could tell that he was the one that was speaking. He was still was outside the castle walls, but she could hear his voice as if he were yelling in her ear. His loud, deep war cry pierced through the air and installed fear into the minds of all in the castle.

He commanded respect, Mist knew that for sure. From his men, he seemingly was given all the respect in the world. But of his enemies, he commanded death.

The army didn't stop marching until they were practically pounding on the door to Sienne. Under normal circumstances, a great number of them would be dead by an arrow already. But these were not normal circumstances. The officials were too frozen by fear to give the command to shoot. And the snipers were shaking too badly that they would not be able to shoot accurately anyway.

And all the while, the enormous form of a man strutted at the front, apparently very confident that he would not get shot by an arrow.

"Weak!" The man roared at the top of his voice, sending shivers down Mist's spine. The sun not yet appeared, but the light on the horizon revealed the man's smiling face. "I'm totally unprotected and you don't even shoot!"

"Tell you what," The massive man added. "I'll give you one shot. Kill me now, and my men will leave you be!"

And even with the extra incentive, still nobody shoot.

"No takers?" The man asked condescendingly. "Pity…"

All the snipers on the wall remained still. All of them, except for one…

"This is getting ridiculous." The sniper said to all around him. "I'll do it." He readied his bow; the only sniper on the wall who was not to fearful to do so without shaking.

"Shinon, no!" Soren yelled at the sniper. "If you miss, we're done for!"

"Screw that." Shinon huffed. "I never miss." With the elegance superior to what is expected of a normal archer, Shinon released an arrow with an almost silent _'twang'_.

The arrow connected with human flesh, right where Shinon was aiming. But it did not have the desired effect.

The man did not drop dead right there, now did he even crouch over in agony. He just stood there, blood oozing out where the arrow had hit him near his right shoulder. He stood there indifferently, grinning maniacally up at the castle.

"Not so easy, is it?" He asked, laughing devilishly. "Perhaps you should try aiming better next time. Oh wait, I only gave you one chance…" He smiled maliciously. "Men, attack!"

Concealed ladders came into view and approached the wall, with the rest of the army waiting anxiously to get into the fray.

"Shinon, what the hell did you do that for?" Soren hollered angrily. "Now we are all dead!"

"If I had known that this guy is invincible, I wouldn't have shot at him." Shinon replied irritably.

"You can kinda tell by his stature that he is invincible…" Ranulf muttered dismally.

"Stop the bickering, all of you." Titania commanded. "We need to focus on the enemy and their ladders at the moment."

"Titania's right." Mist added. "We need to stay together."

It was then that Mist remembered the thing connecting her with Ike. _"Quickly, Ike."_ She said into her rock necklace and put it back down her shirt. She was more saying that to give herself hope, rather than actually tell Ike to hurry up.

But almost immediately she heard a voice come out of the rock. It said, _"I'm already here."_

Confused, Mist looked north, to where Daein and Ike were. Emerging from behind a hill was a blue haired man carrying the banner of Daein, followed closely by a force of five thousand Daeins. And even in the midst of it all, Mist couldn't help but smile.

The sun had risen.

* * *

It took a while for Darod to notice the second army. He always got so into war that he became very unperceptive. They hadn't even gotten very many of the ladders up yet and still Darod's only thought was the want to kill.

In fact, many of Darod's men hadn't noticed until the first blood-curling cry of a man getting shot by a Daein arrow rang through the air.

The Daein force numbered in at about five thousand men and they had taken the oncoming force of about twenty five thousand. But it wasn't the additional numbers that really helped Tellius' forces.

Daein returning meant that Ike was returning. He was their hero, their inspiration. Seeing him there on the battlefield, risking his life for his nation, did wonders for the moral of the men. They fought with newfound courage, no longer too fearful to move.

Another, just as important effect was that it forced Zadonia to fight a two front battle. It split the enemies' force, making them much easier to pick off.

And with only five thousand, most would think that Daein would be done for, matched up on a clear field against twenty thousand. But the Daeins were able to hold their own. The Daein men were very experienced.

Even though they didn't like Ashnard, the training he put them though did wonders for their swordsmanship. And with Ike on your side, it is hard to lose.

At first, Darod had decided to continue to try to get up one of the ladders. He figured the small force would be finished off quickly, and that more lives were to be taken in the castle. But as more and more men went after the Daeins, only to fall to a Daein blade, he finally rethought his strategy.

He went right after the Daeins. Even with their skill with a blade, they were falling by the dozens due to Darod's superior strength.

That is, until he found himself up against Ike.

"Hello there, soldier!" Darod said, smiling. "You'll be kill number…um…Hmm, I seemed to have lost count of how many of your friends I've killed." He said, smirking wickedly.

Ike stared down his aggressor and got into his battle stance.

"What, not scared?" Darod said mockingly. "Brave, especially considering the fact that I could snap you in half like a twig."

"You shall kill, no more." Replied a determined hero.

"You seem quite confident of that. You know, before we start, I'm in the mood for a story. Aren't you? Ah, I've got just the one." Darod said, still smirking down at Ike. "Once upon a time, I killed a man. By punching him in the gut. No weapon. Just my super-strong arm giving the weak what they deserve. How does that make you feel?"

"You'll want to stop distracting yourself with mindless chat, or you might just find your neck has been slit." Ike replied, eyeing his opponent.

"You know, I like you." Darod said. "Most men say nothing when I taunt them, but you're the package deal, threats and all. I think that I'll keep your sword when I'm done with you."

"The only way that you'll get this sword is by prying it out of my dead hand."

"Well, that's good then," Darod said maliciously. "Because I plan on killing you."

"Boy, you really like to talk about stuff that is never going to happen." Ike said, smirking back at his enemy.

"Oh, it'll happen, all right." Darod smirked. "Back in my country, some call me a prophet."

"A prophet? You?" Ike almost couldn't resist the urge to laugh. "Oh, give me a break. I've never seen a prophet that weighs as much as a cow. Or looks like one."

"I know I said I liked you, but the insults are starting to get a little harsh. Play nicely, or I might just take your head as a token instead of your sword."

"Well, come on then," Ike said anxiously. "Release some of that pent up rage. Fight me!" He directed Ragnell at the man's head.

"Put that toy away and take a look at a _real_ weapon." Darod replied sinisterly, showing off his huge, glimmering axe, bigger than Ike's head.

Finally, the battle was under way. It didn't take long for Ike to realize the strength with which his opponent fought. His axe was so heavy and he had so much strength behind his swing that Ragnell may shatter if Ike tried to parry. All Ike could do for much of the battle was scramble out of the path of the huge axe.

At a point when the two were at a stare-off, each regaining his own breath, Ike heard a voice come from the stone at his chest.

"_Careful Ike, he's strong."_ It said. Seemed he had a spectator.

Darod, who couldn't find any other source for the voice said, "What's this? You talk to yourself?" He shook his head disgracefully. "Weak."

"Well, it's better than talking to you." Ike countered.

Darod charged at Ike with revitalized anger.

* * *

A few hours into the battle at the walls of Sienne, it was clear that the forces of Tellius had a hard-fought win almost locked up. The armies of Tellius and Zadonia were about equal in numbers, but Tellius had jumped them from the start.

Zadonia tried and tried again, but never were they able to keep a ladder on the wall long enough for a substantial amount of men to get onto the wall. So, many of them, as well as the foot soldiers on the walls of Sienne, could only watch as arrows rained down on Zadonia's men.

As the battle on the wall came to a close, many turned their attention to Daein's troops. They were still fighting, but they were close to victory as well. As a matter of fact, many of Zadonia's forces were beginning to retreat.

Darod, though, was still in the heat of battle. They were at a stalemate. He wasn't fast enough and Ike wasn't strong enough. Neither was able to get a solid blow on the other.

"General Darod!" One retreating Zadonian hollered. "We must get out of here!"

"Not…Yet!" Darod said, gasping for breath.

"Aw, isn't that cute?" Ike smirked. "Well, at least he has common sense. Why don't you get out of here while you still can?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like that?" Darod countered. "I will have your head. Don't think that you're safe just because you won the battle. Oh no, I won't let you get off the hook that easily."

Ike saw Tauroneo out of the corner of his eye, readying his spear and stepping toward Darod.

"Get back, Tauroneo. He's mine."

"But-" Tauroneo started.

"BACK!" Ike hollered authoritatively.

"Ho, ho!" Darod exclaimed, smiling obnoxiously. "Talk about common sense! I would have thought that you would have wanted to walk away from here with your life."

"Shut up and fight."

"Fine, we'll have it your way."

"The way I see it, the sooner we start, the sooner that I won't have to hear your stupid voice ever again." Ike said grinning, and readying Ragnell once more.

With surprising agility, Darod leaped at Ike, aiming a downward slash at Ike. Ike was only just able to roll out of the way in time. Darod hit the ground with a highly audible _'thud'_ but got up quickly, ready to strike again.

Ike was ready for him the next time he charged up for another leap. Instead of rolling out of the way, he rolled right under the oncoming leaping mass. Grinning all the while, getting ready to finish the roll and quickly turn around for the killing blow.

But it was Darod who would get the final laugh. He had been hoping that Ike would do that, and he was ready for when he did.

He legs, which were presently bent a little bit at the knee, straightened out. His heels caught the young commander hard on the back, shoving his face into the dirt.

Quickly, Darod landed upright and grabbed Ike by the collar of his shirt and lifted him into the air, grinning sinisterly the whole while. He pulled Ragnell from Ike's grasped and threw it twisted Ike around so that they were face to face.

Ike face, now covered in blood due to his nose breaking on a rock in the ground, still held a look of fierce determination.

"Well now, it seems I got you." Darod said, smirking right in Ike's face.

At that moment, right when Darod was preparing for the killing slash with his axe, and arrow whistled by Ike's right ear and plowed itself into Darod's shoulder, near where the first one had hit. And there was only one archer that Ike knew that could shoot with such accuracy, such precision. He'd have to thank Shinon later.

Once again, Darod did not fall, but the arrow succeeded in making Darod release Ike from his grasp. As quickly as he could, Ike grabbed Ragnell of the ground and retreated a few steps, never taking his eyes off Darod.

"Ugh, that is _so_ annoying." Darod said, pulling the arrow out of his shoulder and discarding it to the ground. "Right when you are about to get what you want, some archer ruins it for you. If I could rewrite Battle Law, I would make archers illegal; they're just a bunch of cowards, after all. They fire from far away in safety and they claim that they are fighting. No matter. I will leave now; but believe me, blue-haired man, I will track you down and I will kill you."

He pointed his index finger at Ike and smiled menacingly before stalking off after the rest of his men.

Ike spit a mixture of saliva and his own blood in Darod's wake. "We'll see about that." Ike said before he too stalked off, except he went in the direction of castle.

As the last Zadonian ran under the cover of a barely visible forest on the horizon, the men station in the castle erupted into victorious cries. They still had a long way to go in the war, but they had won a crucial, hard fought battle. That was definitely something to be happy about.

After a quick word with Tauroneo, Ike motioned for the Daeins to walk, injured helped by the uninjured, to Sienne. Daein had few casualities, and no lasting injuries, so all of them made it just fine.

The castle gates opened immediately once they were close, and the forces of Sienne burst into applause as the Daeins walked through the gates. The men were very grateful; Ike and Daein couldn't have come at a better time.

But Ike wasn't really paying attention to the going-on's of the common soldier. Once in the castle and giving the command of the Daein army back to Tauroneo, Ike immediately began a search for his friends.

He was delayed greatly be the tears and praise given to him to the men of Sienne. But he was able to brush all that aside eventually.

All things considered, he actually found them very quickly. They were all near the first place he checked. But he did have something to go off of. Obviously his _spectator_ had to have a good view of him battling…

The mercenaries were still on the wall. They hadn't moved an inch; that is, until Ike arrived. Once he made his presence known, he was enveloped in a massive hug that included almost all the girls, as well as some of the guys.

Mist had been the first one there, and therefore, the closest to him. "Just in time." She whispered.

Ike just smiled and continued to be pressed by the seemingly innumerable amount of bodies. Many of them were giving their words of praise and thanks.

"Oh goddesses, it great to see you safe, Ike!"

"That was awesome, Boss!"

Most of the words went in one ear and out the other, but there was one comment that really caught his attention.

"Oh, Ike! You're my hero!"

It wasn't the words, but how they came out that made them different. They came from a _guy's _mouth. A guy who thought it would be funny to try to say that in a high-pitched girly voice.

"Boyd." Ike said grinning. "Get out of here."

"Aww man, how'd you know it was me?" Boyd's voice responded, somewhere to Ike's right.

"I didn't. I knew it was either you or Ranulf, so I just took a shot."

"Alright," Titania said, Ike continuing to get squished. "Give the man some room."

Obviously disappointed, the crowd around Ike moved back a few steps, and Ike was finally able to catch his breath.

"Oh, hey Shinon?" Ike said, breaking the silence that had ensued. "I got your arrow back." Ike tossed the blood-stained arrow that had saved him from potential death.

"Why the _hell_ would you give me that back?" Shinon said, tossing the arrow over the wall and into the fields surrounding Sienne.

"Is it that hard for you to take my thanks?"

"You're thanking me with that? Yeah, I'm going to go get a drink…" Shinon walked off to the closest bar on the other side of the city, Gatrie following a stride behind.

"Let's go inside, it's scorching out here." Ike said when Gatrie disappeared from sight.

* * *

After being told where his room was, Ike was immediately situated in a small meeting with Soren and Titania.

"Soren, does it have to be so soon? I'm pretty tired." Ike complained as he lounged back in his chair. The three of them had gone to a small, dark room in the middle of the castle.

"Yes, we have too! Ike, we're in the middle of a war! We have no time for relaxing!"

"Shinon and Gatrie are…" Ike muttered.

"Yeah, but they don't have the responsibilities that you do." Titania countered.

"It won't take that long, Ike." Soren added.

"Alright." Ike said, sitting up in his chair with his elbows on the table. "What do you have to tell me?"

"First, a question for you. How many men did Daein bring?"

"I don't know…about five thousand. Why does that matter?" Ike asked, puzzled.

"Oh, so they were able to send that many, good…" Soren said thoughtfully. "It matters because I am trying to get a better idea of how many men we have and how many Zadonia has."

"Oh, so did you get an estimate on how many are dead."

"Yes, I've got a vague idea."

"Which is?" Ike asked.

"I would guess that about five thousand Zadonians perished while no more than two thousand of our men died."

"Wow, we really did well that battle."

"Yes, but they'll be back, with more men. That is the reason why I wanted you here so early; so that we can prepare."

"Don't diminish the fact that we won a big battle, Soren. We came through when we needed to."

"I'm not diminishing from that! I'm just saying that we still have a long way to go."

"Long way to go? Soren, according to you, we took out a big chunk of their army."

"Ike, when you have a hundred thousand men, five thousand is not that much."


	10. Chapter 10

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 10**

"I don't like failure, Darod." Amaros stated condescendingly. So few people could do that. Darod was just so intimidating. Nobody was able to stand up to him. But Amaros was up to the challenge. _Somebody _had to scold him after his recent failure at Melior.

And a failure it was. Not only had they lost five thousand, they also had possibly another ten thousand injured in a few hour's fight. Many had left with very severe injuries, further dwindling the effective amount of soldiers able to fight. They hadn't taken an official count, but possibly as little as ten thousand of the initial twenty thousand remained, ready to fight.

And to say that Amaros was merely 'mad' would be a huge understatement. He was furious beyond conception. Though he remained calm, as usual, on the inside, he was mad beyond belief.

"Darod," Amaros continued. "I gave you the chance of a lifetime and you failed to prove anything. You are a failure." He put extra emphasis on all those last four words.

"Pardon me, sir," Darod replied curtly, "But I do believe you gave me the chance to kill. In that respect, I succeeded on numerous levels, so get off my back."

"Darod, I told you to take the castle!" Amaros nearly hollered. "When will you start doing what I ask of you? When will you stop thinking about your own ambitions and contribute to the goals of the group?"

"Look, I take commands from nobody. I take orders from nobody. I take _lip _from nobody. What will it take for you to realize that?"

"I grow tired of this." Amaros sighed. "All I ever do is yell at you and all you ever do is ruin your chances I give you. I fear our time together grows shorter every second…" He said sinisterly.

"Ha!" Darod let out a cold laugh. "You say that, _commander_, but you and I both know that only the king has the power to assign and get rid of generals, of which, I am one."

"Yes, that is true, but I do have the power to return you and your men to Zadonia. Back to the boring life for you, I suppose, my friend…"

"You wouldn't!" Darod growled.

"Give me one more reason to, and I will." Darod's face showed skepticism and pride. "What, you don't think I will?" Amaros added. "I grow weary of all this, Darod. That being said, pending any fiasco beforehand, I will allow you to fight with the rest of us when we attack Sienne."

"Hmph, seems you are not as stupid as you look." Darod smirked. "Good night, commander…"

And with that Darod left the commander's tent and returned to his own, where he would try to get some shut-eye underneath the starry night.

Amaros, though, remained where he was.

The big brute sure did know how to screw with plans, didn't he? Amaros sighed heavily

Moving on would be tougher, now. From what he had heard, the forces of Tellius had lost virtually no one compared to how many their force had. Zadonia still had them outnumbered by a long shot, but that's not really the bad part…

Tellius would be motivated now. The won a battle and the morale of the troops would rise from 'virtually non-existent' to 'anything's possible', just like that.

He shouldn't have trusted Darod with so much responsibility. He had already proven in past wars against Dynastia that he was unable to follow instruction. He never would have become even as high as a Marshall of a recruit division had it not been for his relations.

Being the nephew of the king does tend to give you certain luxuries.

That had always been a problem to Zadonia in past years. The army was always the focal point of Zadonia, and positions of power were considered very valuable.

So, many nobles would buy their way into those positions of power; be it a Marshall, General, or Official. So what they had was a bunch of nobles, who had no military experience, leading a core of experienced soldiers. Very ironic and very devastating.

That had changed when Amaros came along. He was a revolutionary commander to Zadonia. He was held with utmost respect, until the disaster with Dynastia. He had handpicked his own leaders based on experience on the battlefield alone; accepting no bribes along the way.

But when the king walked up to him personally and asked that his nephew be given the rank of a general, Amaros wasn't in the position to refuse. As much as he wanted to say no, doing so would put his title of commander in jeopardy.

So in came Darod. Strong and intimidating, but at the same time, dull and very arrogant.

Well, we'll see. Maybe Darod would redeem himself in the upcoming battle. He had better, because Amaros was serious when he said that he was going to send him back to Zadonia.

At the moment, the main army of Zadonia was just entering the Serenes forest and within days of the castle of Sienne. Maybe at about eighty thousand at the moment, their outnumbering of Tellius' forces was only about three to one now.

Still a significant advantage, but diminishing all the same.

Perhaps Hogan was justified in his suggestion of using that tome…

* * *

Ike awoke the next morning to a few familiar visitors. Ranulf, Boyd, and Mist sat on a nearby couch, seemingly very anxious of Ike's awakening.

They were all full of glee. Who couldn't be after what had happened last night?

Ranulf was the first to notice that Ike had awakened. "'Bout time you woke up." He said.

"Hey, how's it going, sleepyhead?" Boyd said, grinning.

Ike rubbed his eyes groggily. It had been a long day yesterday, and Ike had gone to bed last night very tired. He wouldn't have been surprised if it was noon right now.

"Man, I've been itching to tell you something Ike." Ranulf said. "You were a _beast _on the battlefield yesterday!"

"Yeah Ike!" Boyd added, a similar look of amazement of his face. "We watched you take down, like, their whole army on your own!"

"Wha-?" Ike asked. "When were you able to watch me? Weren't you fighting too?"

Mist was the one who answered. "Zadonia wasn't able to get very many ladders up, so things were getting a little boring. So most of us turned our attention to you and Daeins."

"Oh, that's great…" Ike groaned. "So you watched my fight against that seven-foot freak?"

"Oh yeah!" Ranulf replied. "That was the most awesome part! He had you beat in just about every fighting category and you still didn't back down."

"Frankly," Boyd added, simpering. "I'm surprised you didn't soil your pants."

"I thought I was going to, when I first laid eyes on him. I was intimidated, though I didn't give him the pleasure of letting him know. And we went right into the duel."

"But dueling wasn't the only thing you did with him, was it?" Mist asked, smiling coyly.

"What are you talking about?" Ike asked, perplexed.

"Who knew that our hero is a trash talker?" Mist said, still smirking at her brother.

Ike blushed scarlet. Ranulf and Boyd looked at him in utter shock.

"You t_rash talk?!_" Boyd said in shock, and perhaps,…pride?

"Oh yeah." Mist replied for him. "I heard him say everything."

"Since when, Ike?" Boyd asked. "I've never heard you say anything to your opponents before."

"That's because, for obvious reasons, I kept it on the low side." Ike said, still pink at the cheeks.

"Ah, so you wanted to trash talk, but you didn't want to get in trouble with Titania." Ranulf said grinning. "Did I get that right?"

"Yes." Ike replied sheepishly.

"So don't leave us hanging, Ike!" Boyd said giddily. "What did you say?"

"It wasn't anything, really…"

"Come on, Ike, you can tell me." Boyd pleaded.

"Look, really, it's nothing. I just call my enemies stuff so that I can egg them on and cause them to make aggressive mistakes. For example, I called that man a fat cow, or something like that."

Ranulf laughed. "You know, looking back, he _did _look like a cow!"

"Yeah, well, it worked. He lunged at me right when I said it. And he fought like a beast, that is for sure." Ike sighed. "And to think that he is still out there…"

"Well, what matters now is that we are all safe." Mist pointed out.

"Suppose so…" Ike said contemplatively. "So, any injuries to anybody I know? No deaths, right?"

"I told you, Ike, things were pretty boring." Mist replied. "Nobody so much as got a scratch."

"Had to ask."

"So," Ranulf said, breaking the awkward silence that had ensued. "What next?"

"Soren says all we can do is wait." Ike replied, closing his eyes once more. "So that is all I plan to do."

"Uhh, Ike? You may not want to do that." Mist said cautiously. "You never know what may be _thrown at you._"

Ike's eyes sprang open at once and darted suspiciously from Boyd to Ranulf.

"Aww, Mist…" Boyd pouted. "Why did you have to tell him? He would have been none the wiser…" He dropped the pillow he was about to fling at Ike on the ground. Ranulf, too, dropped his pillow.

"No fair!" Ranulf complained with a smile plastered on his face. "Why'd you have to go and get a lady, Boyd? And to the victim's sister no less! She's ruining everything…"

Boyd put an arm around his fiancée's shoulder. "At least I _can_ get a lady."

Ranulf smirked back at him. "Yeah, I _could _get one, but why would I? When you stop and think about it, getting married just means more responsibilities. I guess that's just not my cup of tea."

Boyd looked from Mist back to Ranulf. "Love makes you do strange things."

Ranulf wasn't the one who replied, though. "So did I just become invisible? Can you guys not see me anymore, or am I just that boring?" Ike asked.

"Oh hey there, Ike!" Ranulf exclaimed, smirking. "Didn't see you there!"

"Yeah, right…" Ike mumbled.

"Don't take it personally, Ike." Boyd said. "Ranulf just gets so entranced when I'm giving out love advice. Must be because he personally knows nothing of the subject."

Ranulf bend down and chucked the pillow at his feet at Boyd's face. "You watch yourself! Your big mouth might get you in trouble!"

"Alright, relax everyone." Ike said, though concealing a grin himself. "Let's not fight anymore."

"He started it!" Boyd pouted.

"Yeah, whatever…" Ranulf grumbled. "Hey, is anybody else hungry? I'm starved."

As if on cue, Ike's stomach growled at that moment. "Sounds like a plan." Ike replied.

"Lunchtime!" Ranulf hollered in a high pitched voice before running out the door and down to the kitchen and dining room.

So it _was_ noon already.

* * *

Sienne only had about twenty four more hours before the remaining Zadonian force showed up. It was at about noon the next dawn that the bells sounded, signifying the danger everyone knew would come.

It came as came as a complete surprise for most. Soren himself had told Ike that he didn't think that they would come for a few days, minimum. But here was an army on their doorstep, bearing the flag of Zadonia.

And this one was not a small force. It had to be at least twice as big as the last, perhaps even bigger. Soren was right about one thing. Zadonia had wasted no time in getting here.

But this was not a day to whine and complain. This was not a day to chicken out. For today would be the deciding factor in who won this war.

Zadonia had all the momentum coming into this war. Tellius was pushed all the way back on its heels within the first month.

Now the forces wobbled on their heels near the edge of a cliff. Would Zadonia have enough strength to push them off? Or perhaps a better question to ask would be: Does Tellius have the fortitude to survive the Zadonian onslaught?

Zadonia was ready, Ike was sure of that. They were so well trained that they would always be ready. But he still firmly believed that Tellius could still win this war. If they just won this one battle, all the momentum would shift to them, and Zadonia would be on its heels.

And pumping up Tellius wouldn't be a problem. All they needed was to see Ike fighting and they would fight with all the courage they could muster.

So it came down to this. Could they muster enough?

In no time, Ike and the mercenaries were down at the wall with the rest of Sienne's guards. It was a massive army and rivaled the size of the force that had taken Melior with ease.

But that didn't bother Ike one bit. They were a bigger army. They were a stronger army. They could win this.

What did bother Ike was the grim confidence etched on the face of the man he had fought back in Melior. The flaming redhead Amaros stood at the head of the army, just inside arrow range. Perhaps Shinon could get a good look at him, but Shinon never really was a far shooter, just an accurate one. He may not be able to shoot far enough.

Without even his harsh words of welcome, like what he had done at Melior, Amaros readied his troops for action.

* * *

"General Hogan!" Amaros called out. "Come quickly!"

Amaros had been swallowed whole when he had given the signal to stop marching. He had been out in the middle of an open field, but he had retreated a little. Now he was in the middle of a large army, there was almost no way that he was in any danger.

And while in the safety of the core of the army, he was able to make a perceptive observation.

"You called, sir?" Hogan replied when he was able to get over to Amaros.

"Take a look up at that section of the wall." Amaros said, pointing at the northern side of the walls to Sienne. "Do you see that man with the blue hair?"

"Yes sir."

"That's not the Hero of Tellius, is it?"

Hogan looked flabbergasted, doing a double take to look back up at the wall. "I-I don't see how it could be, sir." He stuttered.

"It looks an awful lot like him… You don't suppose that he escaped the ice, do you?"

"That would be virtually impossible, sir. He'd have to walk right under our noses."

"Yes, that's true." Amaros looked up at the wall in wonder. "There's no way that he could still be alive. Forget I said anything."

"Alright sir, can I take my leave?"

"Not yet, Hogan. I have a special task for you."

Hogan looked at his commander quizzically. "Sir?"

Amaros reached into his pocket and brought forth a tome. "This is the one, Hogan. Treat it with care. It is immensely powerful, so you are going to have to concentrate extra hard."

"You're finally taking my advice?"

"Hogan, I realize now that I have become very selfish during the past couple of weeks. I have been center-minded and for that I feel much regret. That is why I will grant you the privilege of taking down this hell hole for good." Amaros said with a sinister smile on his face.

"You're going to trust me with this? Thank you, sir! It would be my honor to finish off Tellius."

"That's the spirit!" Amaros replied condescendingly. "Use it when you feel ready. I'm in no rush…" He said devilishly.

Hogan nodded, beginning to walk away. This particular tome would take a while to recite and cast. But before he could get to a secluded spot, Amaros called to him one more time.

"And do try not to hit the northern wall. If that is the Hero up there, I want to have a surprise for him…"

Hogan looked curiously up at that part of the wall, where the blue haired warrior seemed eager and ready to go.

* * *

"Soren, what's going on?" Ike asked for about the millionth time.

"I don't know Ike, would you stop asking me that!" Soren replied hastily. "If it were me, I would have attacked by now. Maybe they want to make us fold under the anticipation of doom or something.

If that was what Zadonia wanted, their plan was working, for the most part. Many of the soldiers on the wall, though not shaking in fear as they were last time, were fidgeting in the agony that came with waiting for something bad that you know is going to happen. It was dead silent on the wall and everyone was ready to go. The only problem was that the Zadonia army was still out of reach of their archers, and sending foot soldiers out there to meet them would be suicide.

Ike and the mercenaries at the north end of the wall remained unnerved though. They had been through the agony of war at its peak in the Mad King's War, and they were able to cope with just about anything short of death just nicely. And this benefitted the soldiers around the mercenaries as well. Though they had not been through what the mercenaries had been through, Ike and his company constantly reassured the meager soldiers. Just a little small chat can do wonders for the moral of inexperienced soldiers.

Though the fact that Zadonian's forces showed up just outside their doorstep and had refused to attack for the past hour really intrigued Ike. He had expected them to jump right into battle as they had for the past two battles.

Apparently they had adopted a new strategy after their defeat last time.

He couldn't tell for certain, but Ike thought he caught a glimpse of Zadonian soldiers near the back holding what looked to be numerous tents. It was very far away so he wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that he did.

And that just stumped Ike even more. Why would they want to set up camp? Sure, it was getting dark, but surely they were accustomed to fighting in the dark? Why, Mist had told him that they had even begun the fighting last time with torches in hand!

Or were they planning to send their forces in waves? That could be. But that would be stupid; they didn't send their full force last time and Tellius had destroyed them! Then again, Zadonia could really wear Tellius down with constant and never ending waves. So maybe that is what they are doing.

Still, that doesn't explain why they haven't attacked yet.

"I don't like this, Ike…" Ranulf muttered. Ike looked around. Many of the people around him seemed to have similar expressions of doubt etched onto their faces.

"I'm sure it is nothing, Ranulf." Ike reassured. "You look really tired. Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll wake you if they make a move."

"I'm not going to sleep now! Ike, they are up to something. I just know it; they are up to something unexpected. Why else would they stop, just like that?"

"I don't know, Ranulf. I don't know."

All of a sudden, a loud crashing noise echoed through the air, causing Ranulf to jump. Ike was startled as well, but Ranulf was really antsy at the moment.

Turns out that the noise came from Mist. She had dropped her heal staff on the ground because she too was getting antsy and she was getting clumsy. The fall had broken the staff in half.

"Sorry, everybody…" She muttered sheepishly. She muttered something about getting a new staff before scurrying off toward the barracks, where they had more stocked up.

It was a few minutes later that things finally began to unravel. A series of ill-fated events unfolded in the course of a few minutes.

The first thing that happen was a lone Zadonia archer ran for his life through the field that separated the two armies. He ran through unscathed and sent a message arrow harmlessly up the wall near Ike, before he too ran back to the core of the army harmlessly.

Ike was the first to it and was about to read it when a cry sounded through the air: "Ike! Mage!"

It was Ranulf and he was hollering frantically at Ike to look at what he was looking at. Where the small archer had disappeared stood a lone man. By the looks of it, he was a mage, though Ike couldn't really tell because he was so far away.

"Are you sure, Ranulf?" Ike asked doubtfully. "Maybe he is just the commander giving the order to move in?"

Ike's assumption proved to be far from right. A moment later, the inevitable happen as a great, flaming meteor soared through the air and implanted itself into the ground where the gate to Sienne had once stood. And this meteor was much bigger than any meteor produced by a mage of Tellius. It was the size of a relatively large building, and it had managed to wipe out about a third of the army instantly almost noiselessly.

For a moment, the air remained silent. But soon, terrified screams of fear and mass chaos rang through the air. There was no help now. Tellius had fallen.

The soldiers of Zadonia finally began their march, while the soldiers remaining on the walls of Sienne dropped their weapons in panic and desperately tried to find the nearest exit. Which, for some of them, was over the walls and to their deaths.

At this point, Ike had lost all aspect of time. Tellius, the nation he had worked so hard to protect, was as good as dead. There was no use now. They had to run away now, or be killed by the blade of Zadonia.

While he thought this, though, Ike's body remained motionless. The Zadonians were beginning to climb the rubble when someone finally shoved Ike, causing him to come back to reality.

"Ike, we need to get out of here!" Ranulf shouted as the first of the Zadonians got on the wall.

Ike nodded and ran, following Ranulf further north up the wall, where there was a staircase that they could escape down.

Unfortunately for many of Tellius' forces, they were not quick enough. The Zadonians did not strike to kill, though. It seemed they wanted to make some money from the slave trade as well.

It didn't take long for Ike and Ranulf, who were one of the last groups to escape, to come upon the staircase. But somehow, four Zadonians had made it their before they had. Two of them were currently in a battle against Boyd, and two others were dragging Mist off to where they dumped the new slaves in front of the meteor…

"Mist!" Ike cried, breaking into a full out sprint at the men, but one of the two that had been battling Boyd leaped at Ike.

And he was a formidable warrior. He was actually able to hold against Ike and Ranulf for a few minutes. Enough time for the other two to get away…

Boyd finished in about the same time. And when he noticed that they had gotten Mist, he let out a blood-curling scream of pain.

She was nowhere in sight. And what was worse was that another seven or eight men had emerged and were charging at the three of them at full speed.

"Boyd, no!" Ike hollered. Boyd had gotten ready to charge at them and fight to the death. Ike knew that he had to be going through a lot. Ike reached out and grabbed his shoulder. With the help of Ranulf, Ike was able to get the struggling Boyd through the door to the staircase. They shut and locked the door before any Zadonian could get through.

All three of them were gasping for breath, and Boyd continued to try to get back to Mist.

"Boyd!" Ike said as he and Ranulf continued to hold Boyd back. "There is nothing we can do! We need to get out of here; they could break through that door at any moment!"

"Good! Let them!" Boyd hollered back while still struggling to get away from Ike and Ranulf's grasps. "Let them come through so I can kill them all!"

"Boyd, don't sacrifice yourself now!" Ike hollered. "Wait for a better time! Mist wouldn't have wanted you to kill yourself!"

That did it. Boyd immediately stopped struggling and reduced to sobbing. "It's alright, Boyd. We'll come back for her, I promise. But we need to get out of here, now!"

They were able to get out of there quickly once Boyd had stopped struggling. They made it to the bottom of the stairs before the Zadonians had been able to break open the door and pursue the fugitives.

As they made it to the bottom of the staircase and out the door into the field and freedom, Ike realized they weren't alone.

"Ike!" Soren exclaimed joyfully. "Thank the goddesses you are alright!"

There were more people, but Ike was in so much of a rush that he didn't even notice who they were. "Soren, they're at the top of the staircase! We need to get out of here!"

Nodding, Soren lead the charge toward the nearby woods, where they would become untraceable and out of sight this dreariest among dreary nights.

* * *

"Boyd!" Mist screamed and struggled, though knowing in her heart that she was fighting an uphill battle. Boyd was still in the middle of a battle and she could barely see him; he was so far away. She reached her hand out in his direction half-heartedly and stopped struggling against the two warriors.

One of the two men snickered. "Where you are going, miss, you are not going to see him in a while."

Mist soon found herself on the field, where she was thrown into a "cage" by the two men. In reality, though, these were not cages, but rather Zadonian men in a square formation, with twenty or so prisoners in each "cage."

All the prisoners were first stripped of any weapons and then tagged with a metal bracelet that had a unique number on each one before being thrown into the cages. The number of prisoners in the cages was quite staggering. In a guard - prisoner ratio, it may have been as high as 3 – 1. Almost all the men who were not killed by the meteor now sat in one of the cages. And many women and children from the castle town were coming in. And the fact of the matter remained that prisoners were still coming in.

Mist's cage held no recognizable faces and that really depressed her. Almost immediately after she had been put in, another young lady had been thrown in, and she was crying, desperately calling for her mommy.

She couldn't have been too much younger than Mist was; maybe ten or eleven. She was petite and blonde, and definitely too innocent to be in a horrible place like this, where the stink was rapidly becoming very putrid. She seemed inconsolable at the moment, sitting on the ground and crying into her hands. Mist decided to try and console her, though.

"What's your name?" Mist asked the young girl, sitting down next to her.

The girl sniffed. "Carolyn."

"That's a lovely name." Mist said, doing the best she could to give the girl a genuine smile. "Mine's Mist."

"Hi Mist." The young said quietly. "I miss my mom." The girl said, before beginning to cry once again.

Mist rapped her arms around the young girl. "And I miss my husband and brother." Mist said, patting the small girl on the back. "But we still have each other." Carolyn continued to cry into Mist's shoulder.

This truly was a dismal day for Tellius.

* * *

Once in the woods, Ike was finally given a chance to read the note. Taking the arrow out of his pocket and the note of the arrow, Ike opened the note. It contained only two words, but they were enough to send shivers down his spine. The note read:

"Good-bye, Tellius."

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

* * *

What is a society?

Society is the supreme ruler over men. It can dictate opinions and regulate thought processes. A society can tell people what to look like and how to act, in public as well as private llife. It has the power to decide whether to keep everyone at peace or send everyone into a spiraling abyss of destruction and chaos that was war or rebellion.

Basically, society is the popular opinion within a group of people. The majority gets to boss around the minority. Other than death, society is the only thing that can overthrow a monarch. No one person can stand up to the might of a society.

Sometimes, a society can be friendly. It can create laws that everyone is willing to abide by and can cut down on chaos. But in many cases, power hungry fools lead the formation of a society. They ruin it for the few who have good morals and only wish for a peaceful life.

Perhaps the biggest aspects of life that society has control over are freedom and safety.

No one society can have a perfectly free and perfectly safe environment. As you make a society more free, you must sacrifice some safety. That is because, if you give your people the right to bear arms and the freedom to do whatever they want with them, crime will skyrocket. Murder will go up as the men will use their freedoms to get revenge on someone they don't like, or just to make cash on whatever the man was carrying.

The flip side of this is true as well. You can have a nice, safe environment by taking away weapons. But then, the people will not be happy and free, and they will rebel.

What, then, is the perfect combination of freedom and safety?

Certainly not what the society of Zadonia had for its citizens.

They tried to be a safe society. They restricted all weapons except for people in their military, and they held the death penalty to anybody who carries a weapon or kills a fellow man. The problem was the fact that they did not have enough enforcement.

Sure they had a huge military. But the army was always out fighting in distant places and nobody was left behind to patrol the streets in Zadonia. Black markets began popping up all over the countryside with the intent on selling swords and bows to common men. Highly illiegal, but many of them were never caught.

So what you had in Zadonian society was little freedom and absolutely no safety.

Such was the life of twenty year old Bryce Fendrel. A tall, muscular man, Bryce lived in fear in father's large house. Bryce had shoulder length blonde hair tied in a ponytail, much to the displeasure of his father's interpretation of what a man should look like.

His father was a strict idealist. Gabe, his father, was a widower and believed in human supremacy. Thus, he put a lot of money into the Tellius slave exchange when he heard of the Laguz that had been captured there.

Bryce was never too fond of his father's ideals. But his whole life, he had been stuck under his father's forceful glare. He had grown up as his father's shadow.

With Gabe being a professional blacksmith, one of the best in all of Zadonia, Bryce was forced to become his father's apprentice at age ten. Often times, while being tutored, Gabe would try to feed his son some comments; prejudiced remarks that he had intended would make his son become just like him.

It never worked though. Bryce remained a man of truth and morals. And that made Gabe very angry.

Bryce grew up in, and still lives in today, the small town of Farlor. Zadonia was broken up into four equally sized provinces. Farlor was located in the southwestern province of Hanura. A once peaceful little town, Farlor too fell to the hands of tyranny. Fear plagued the town as assassins and tramps alike littered the streets. Gabe had to always be on his guard when somebody entered his shop, as he may not be a customer…

In the town of Farlor, Gabe's house was by far the largest and most majestic. Being three stories tall and painted exquisitely around the outside, the house was a revolutionary among the plain, common shacks that made up almost all of the rest of the town.

Farlor was a seaport town. Gabe's mansion rested at the edge of land where the water began. The main dock into the city was right in Gabe's backyard as well, so he had much control over the land as well as sea.

All of this would have made one of the many normal poverty-stricken children in Zadonia happy and full of glee, but it did nothing for Bryce. Gabe was not Bryce's real father. His real father had passed away before Bryce had even been born. And a few months later, his mother gave him birth and remarried to Gabe. About a year after that, she too passed away.

A very traumatic upbringing, but there is nothing money can't fix, right?

That was far from the truth. Gabe was probably the worst father anybody could have ever imagined. Save for his duty as Bryce's blacksmith master, he completely ignored Bryce. Gabe threw parties every other day to have fun with his friends, while Bryce was confined to his room.

And today was no different. Bryce was stuck in his huge room while his father drank with some friends. Not that that was unusual. Bryce normally spent his free time alone in his room; he didn't like Gabe as much as Gabe didn't like him.

Except today was quite different. Today was the day that Gabe got to show off his new Laguz slave. Big and hair of flaming red, this did not look like a man you would want to mess with. That being said, Gabe looked positively thrilled to have him as his slave.

Bryce awoke from his nap to the loud crash of something breaking downstairs, followed by the howls of laughter that came from his step father and his friends.

"Must they always be this loud!" Bryce muttered to himself. Yawning, he got up. It was starting to get dark now; the sun was already partially blocked off by the horizon in the distance. Though that wasn't particularly surprising. These little parties that his step father put on could run throughout the whole night.

Yawning once more, Bryce opened the door and walked downstairs to where he heard the crash. He was a little curious about the crash, but he was more curious about the Laguz that Gabe had dragged into the household.

Bryce had never before seen a Laguz before. He had only heard of them in legend and he was able to try to paint a picture of what they look like in his mind. He always saw them as fragile creatures, always hounded down because of the fact that they are different.

And boy was he wrong.

This Laguz was massive. And he looked none too pleased to be shackled up.

Gabe and his friends stood, crouching over in laughter, in the middle of the mansion's huge living room. The source of the crash lay in glass shards at the Laguz's feet and the contents of the glass on his slave garments.

Bryce peaked around the corner into the living room from the hallway he was in now. Gabe and his friends had their backs to him, but Bryce was able to get a good look at the Laguz's face.

Battle-scarred and gnarly, this Laguz didn't give his master the satisfaction of showing the emotions he had to be feeling. He was very intimidating as well, almost a head taller than Bryce and with biceps almost as large as one of Bryce's thighs. The wine that had been spilt on his clothing dripped to the ground innocently while the Laguz just stared back at his master with no emotion.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Clean up your mess!" Gabe hollered with intensity, while his friends laughed the whole way. "Can you believe how clumsy these sub-humans are?" Gabe muttered under his breath to his friends, earning himself a few more snickers.

Meanwhile, the Laguz had grabbed a broom and swept up the glass. Putting the shards into a bag, the Laguz began walking toward the trash can that was in the kitchen, which was down the hall that Bryce was located in.

Grabbing his courage, Bryce ducked his head back out of the doorway and walked down to the kitchen. It was time that he had a chat with a Laguz for the first time.

A few seconds after Bryce slipped into the kitchen, the Laguz had appeared, and Bryce found himself face to face with him.

"Don't worry about me father." Bryce said, not able to think of anything else to talk to a slave about. "He's always like this. I promise, I will find a way to get you out of here." He laid a hesitant hand of consoling on the Laguz's shoulder.

The Laguz immediately twitched away from the contact. "Hands off, Beorc." He said irritably. Bryce couldn't tell if his voice was gruff due to lack of use or it was just naturally that way.

Bryce looked back at the Laguz, perplexed. "What's a 'Beorc'? I have never heard that term before."

"How could you have lived this long and not know what that means?" the Laguz growled.

"I'm sorry, but I have never been near a Laguz before, and therefore, don't know the idiosyncrasies of Laguz lingo."

He growled louder still. "Our 'lingo'?" He said, outraged. "What makes our 'lingo' any different from your lingo?"

"Hey, calm down, you don't want to alert my father, do you?" Bryce shushed and waited silently to listen and see if his father had heard. Apparently, he hadn't so Bryce continued. "I'm sorry, but we don't have any Laguz here. As I said, you are the first Laguz I have ever seen."

The laguz looked outraged. "There are no Laguz in this godforsaken nation?" Bryce shook his head in answer and the laguz sighed. "Simply put, Beorc means human."

"Oh." Bryce said and the Laguz turned to leave. "Wait, don't leave!" Bryce added. "I still don't know your name."

Without stopping to reply, the laguz proudly stated, "Caineghis."

* * *

Ike had never seen Soren like this. As soon as they had made it to the covering of the trees, Soren fell into a fit of uncontrollable sobs. Ike had always saw Soren as a very composed person; never had Ike seen him cry once. But here he was, spewing a waterfall of tears, and no one was able to comfort him because almost everyone else was crying as well.

Except for Ike. At the moment he was completely void of emotion. He felt it. He felt the pain and suffering, the loss and devastation. But for some reason, it wasn't coming out. He just stood there, motionless as a rock, staring into space.

Finally zoning back in after a long sequence of thought, Ike finally got to tally who had escaped. And it wasn't pretty. Only six people now walked among the ranks of the once proud Griel mercenaries and company.

And they were Ike, Soren, Boyd, Tauroneo, Ranulf and Lethe.

That's all that were left. Best case scenario would be that the rest would become slaves, but there always was the unthinkable possibility that they had fallen.

"Soren?" Ike said cautiously, placing a hand on the small tactician's shoulder. "Come on, get up, Soren. It's not the end of the world."

"Yes it is!" Soren said between sobs. "Ike, don't you understand? We lost! All we fought to protect is gone! We no longer live in Tellius but in an expansion of the Zadonian Empire!"

"What are you talking about, Soren? You're not giving up now, are you?"

"Ike, just stop it now, please. It's over!"

"It's not over yet, Soren. We still have a shot. The sooner you believe that, the sooner we'll be able to claim our nation back."

Soren continued to refuse to believe it, and so did the rest of the people there, even when Ike tried his hardest to convince the others that it would be alright.

"Alright, fine, you don't have to believe me now, Soren. Either way, the fact of the matter remains that we are still not in complete safety under these trees. Surely they will send scouts to investigate for escapers, so we need to move." Ike looked around cautiously, as if to find a scout at this very moment.

Soren, who was currently sitting with his back against a tree and his knees hugged up against his chest, refused to move. "Come on, Soren." Ike said, offering a helping hand.

After a moment or two, Soren reluctantly took the hand and Ike pulled him to his feet. Soren muttered his thanks.

"So," Soren said after Ike had helped everyone up. "What now?"

"What's this?" Ike asked with a grin on his face. "I never believed that I would see the day when Soren turned to _me_ for advice!"

Ike's words echoed through the woods, followed by silence. The normally present laughter was gone, had vanished from everyone, as it seemed. Even the two main sources of laughter held the silence in high regard. Boyd just stared back at him blankly with a grim look on his face and Ranulf seemed to be completely zoned out.

"Sheesh, don't everyone laugh at once…" Ike muttered. "Liven up, people."

After a few silent minutes of thought, realization washed over Boyd. All of the sudden and completely unexpected by Ike, Boyd sprang. Leaping and knocking Ike to the ground, Boyd grabbed Ike's shirt and looked determinedly into Ike's eyes. "Give me your rock!" Boyd hollered desperately.

Ike was more shocked than hurt from the fall, but the look in Boyd's eyes was rather off-putting. He looked very desperate, as if this was a matter of life and death. Coming back to his senses, Ike replied, "What are you talking about?"

The other mercenaries looked on at the scene warily, but they were too fearful to do anything. So they just watched on and hoped for the best.

"You know what I'm talking about! Give me the damn rock! I need to talk to her!"

Oh, that rock…

"We can't, not right now! I'm sorry, Boyd, but she is probably surrounded by tons of guards! We can't risk having that rock taken by the guards due to reckless use. As it is, I had to put it into a thick fur bag to prevent everyday noises from reaching the rock."

"I don't care! Oh, Mist…" He started to sob once more. "My dear, sweet Mist…"

"I know you want to talk to her, Boyd." Ike consoled, patting him on the back. "I do too. But we have to think about the future. If we want to save her, we could use that communication with her to help find her. Now is too dangerous. Let's wait a day or two. And at night, when many of the guards are asleep. Then we'll try to contact her."

Boyd reluctantly agreed that was best. Wiping away his tears, Boyd stood up again.

"All right, now that that is settled," Soren said impatiently. "Will somebody answer my question?"

"Sorry, Soren." Ike said, grinning sheepishly. "There is a small village south of here by the name of Cerdic Hill. It is about a day's walk away. And it should be a nice quiet place for us to lay low before we make any big decisions on what we're doing next."

* * *

Much of the next day went in a blur for Bryce. Gabe's friends had actually left at a respectable hour, for them at least, last night and he was able to get a decent amount of rest. Even so, Bryce had nothing better to do and held the intention of sleeping through the whole day as well. In the afternoon, though, it began to get a little interesting.

Bryce awoke to a loud yell from outside his third floor room and, presumably, down at the base of the first floor staircase. "Bryce! Get down here!"

It was best not to be tardy when Gabe asks you to do something. He can be grumpy in the best of times and always liked things to be prompt. The expression 'Better late than never' was not included in part of his vocabulary. And the fact that he was now probably having a pretty bad hangover, considering all the wine he had drank last night, did nothing to change his ideals. In fact, it probably only intensified it.

Jumping out of his bed and giving a quick run-through his hair with his hand, Bryce quickly made his way down two sets of stairs. There, at the bottom flight of stairs, was Gabe, clutching his head in agony from the hangover he was definitely experiencing.

"You called?" Bryce said when he reached the bottom.

"I need you to go the smelters shop and buy twenty iron bars for an order I need to fill. Here, take this," Gabe handed him a sack of gold coins. "I don't know how much it will cost, but you should have more than enough. You can keep whatever there is left over. Take the slave with you. And a sword as well, these streets are filled with muggers."

"Yes sir, let me go get my shoes." Bryce said, going back upstairs to his room. He returned a few mintues later wearing his boot and with Caineghis a step behind.

"I expect you back by supper. And make him carry everything. Don't you carry one bar, you hear me?" Gabe cautioned.

"Yes sir." Bryce said, leading the way down the hall and out the front door. As soon as he had shut the front door behind them, Bryce said, "I won't make you carry all that alone. Here, let me go get the wagon." Bryce made to go around back where a small wagon was stowed, but he was stopped in his tracks by laughter.

"Don't bother, little one, twenty bars is nothing to me." Caineghis said, grinning proudly.

"Are you sure?" Bryce asked uncertainly. "It would be easy for me just to go get the wagon."

"No, I just need a crate and I'll be able to carry those bars all day."

"From here to the smelter's shop is a about an hour and a half walk. Are you positive you can carry it that far?"

"Yeah, I'll get it."

"Well, if you are sure…" Bryce replied uncertainly. "Let's go."

Bryce took the initial step in what was to be a long journey, Caineghis striding confidently a few steps behind. There was no smelter's shop in the small town of Farlor. The closet one was a ways north, out in the wilderness.

The man who runs the shop, a guy by the name of Arthur, lived in blissful ignorance with the rest of his family; his wife and two daughters. He had almost completely shut himself of from society be packing up and building a home on a desolate mountain. The only remaining link he had with society was the fact that he was a pretty damn good smelter. Smelted the sturdiest metals around.

But the fact of the matter remained that he didn't get much business because many people find it inconvenient to travel that far to buy metal. And many more didn't even know that he existed. Though Gabe was committed to this man. Gabe made nothing but the best weapons, so he used nothing but the best metals. Which was all well and good, but that meant that Bryce went on a road trip every time that Gabe needed more metal.

An eerie silence shrouded the two for much of the first half of the journey. Neither had much to talk about, and to be perfectly honest, Bryce felt kind of awkward talking to a slave.

Though this slave was more than your everyday slave, Bryce knew that much for sure. And he was curious.

It wasn't until the two finally began the incline up the small mountain that the silence had lifted.

"So, Caineghis, was it?" Bryce asked, trying to get the pronunciation right. The Laguz grumbled back incoherently and Bryce took that as a yes. "I don't believe you have ever told me, where are you from?"

"Gallia." Caineghis replied stoutly and proudly.

"Where's that?"

"In the land of Tellius."

Comprehension washed over Bryce's face as he finally understood the reason that Gabe was able to get such a slave so cheap. "Oh my goddesses!" He exclaimed. "I am so sorry! What we have done to your country is despicable! And let me tell you, I have been opposed to this dreadful war from the start!"

"Yeah, well, there is nothing that can be done now…" Bryce felt a sharp stab of pity for this laguz as this was the first time that his grizzled face showed any emotion. It seemed to be a combination of depression and loneliness.

"I promise you, I will help you get your nation back. I will not stand by and watch as my native country ransacks every known country in sight!"

"Yeah right." Caineghis replied doubtfully. "All you Beorc are the same. You are beings of malevolence and deceit shrouded by a thin covering of lies and unfulfilled promises. I've been around you long enough to know that you are just the same." Then, more to himself than to Bryce he asked, "Why can't all Beorc be more like Ike?"

"Who's Ike?"

"The only Beorc I know that has worked to end the prejudice of Laguz that runs rapid through the nations of Beorc. He is a born Leader, and skillful fighter. Never once has he let anyone he knows and cares about down, nor do I think that he will at all in the upcoming days, weeks, months, and even years. Instead of just looking good on the outside, like most Beorc, he is good all the way through."

"Sounds like an inspirational character." Bryce said, intrigued. "Someday, I'd like to meet him."

"Knock yourself out." Caineghis replied indifferently.

The small wooden house was appearing in the distance, and soon they had appeared at the front door.

When Bryce knocked on the front door, he was almost immediately greeted by a shout from inside that said, "Come in!"

"Ah, if it isn't Gabe's little deliverer!" Arthur said as Bryce closed the door behind him and Caineghis. "And he's got a friend! So, how's Gabe doing?"

Bryce and Caineghis walked over to the small counter a few steps in front door, behind which Arthur sat grinning up at his best customer.

"Just fine, as usual." Bryce replied. "How are the girls?"

"Good, good."

"How old are they now?"

"Nine and eleven."

"Wow, they're still pretty young."

"Yep, my little angels…" Arthur replied. "So, what does ol' Gabe want now, hmm?"

"Twenty iron bars."

"Oh, is that all?" Arthur replied, his face showing disappointment. "Well, let me go grab some out of the storeroom." Arthur scurried off to a back room, which contained many bars of all types of metals and another room which contained the beds for everyone in the family.

It took several trips, but finally Arthur had hauled twenty iron bars to the counter. "Well," Arthur said. "At twenty gold pieces a bar…that comes to four hundred gold pieces."

Counting four hundred out of the bag Gabe had given him was a very long procedure. But finally, after both Bryce and Arthur agreed that there was precisely four hundred gold pieces on the counter, they were free to go. After a hasty good-bye to Arthur, Bryce and Caineghis were on their way back to Gabe's manor.

It was already getting dark and the sun was disappearing on the horizon. Gabe would be angry…

A few steps later, with Bryce walking side by side with a laguz who was carrying twenty iron bars with ease, Bryce said, "Hey Caineghis?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't make promises I'm not willing to keep."


	12. Chapter 12

****

Woah, I'm am so sorry about this long update guys. I just had to have surgery on my knee, and I've been unfit to write for the past couple of weeks. Now I've got a screw in my knee, but the normal length of time between updates should be restored. Sorry again, and hope you like the update!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The small company made it to Cerdic Hill in about two days. They were walking in a very slow manner because of all that had transpired in the past couple of days, but that had only added a half of a day to their journey, at most.

Cerdic Hill was a cozy little town. It was above average it terms of size and it seemed to help plenty of vacancy for six new guests. It had enough shops that sold essentials, so they wouldn't have to worry about that. It seemed to have enough to keep them entertained.

And the residents seemed completely oblivious to the fact that they had just been taken over. Maybe they didn't know, or maybe they just didn't give a damn.

What happens after devastation? What comes after disaster? How can someone move on after such an earth-shaking event?

They say that it is always darkest before dawn. They say that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. They say that it has to get worse before it can get better.

But was that true?

Hope was running thin. Life would have to go on, but Ike knew that he would not be able to meet his normal life with the same passion and desire until he had his country back.

That may not ever happen though, at least, not in his lifetime. With the huge populace Zadonia controls, along with the vast amounts of resources they had in control of, mounted Zadonia with the power perhaps for global domination.

Possibly within the decade, everything that is and was could be in Zadonia's possession. And that was a scary thought.

Obviously, Ike would do all he could do to prevent that. But it was becoming harder and harder to do so. Everyone was losing hope, losing inspiration, and chances for an uprising where becoming thinner and thinner.

Ike was even finding it difficult to motivate his friends. Many of them had recovered since the fall of Sienne to some degree, but their zeal was nothing compared to what it used to be. They had the drive to make it through the normal day, but they were ignoring Ike's pleas to help him get their country back.

Well, there was still one more person among the six of them who had that desire, the passion. The problem was, he didn't hold that passion for getting his country back.

Boyd was emerging as a composed thinker. He was no longer the rash decision-maker that he used to be. He began to see the consequences of decisions that he would have done without even thinking about before. So, he rationalized the consequences of a highly dangerous decision of contacting Mist this early, and had informed Ike that he was willing to wait until they reached their destination before even attempting to contact Mist, and possibly the others.

That being said, Boyd was still just as impatient as he used to be. He had avoided trying to lunge at the rock again, but he was going berserk in the process. And this is what told Ike how much Boyd loved Mist.

Boyd was very antsy. He was fidgeting quite frequently and was most of the time in a secluded place away from the group. He rarely ate, and on a few occasions, Ike could have sworn that he had heard Boyd talking to himself.

Ike wanted to talk to him. He really did. He wanted to help Boyd through this difficult time. But, he figured, that would just make things worse. Boyd needed this time to get to know himself better, so that he can get through this by himself. Boyd was in a period of time where he was facing an individual challenge that he alone could solve. To put it simply, this was something that Boyd had to get through himself.

Soren found a nice place on the southern outskirts of town that offered plenty of lodging for relatively cheap prices. Everyone got their own room, all for only twenty-five gold pieces a night.

Being so cheap though, Ike did not expect much from quality of their rooms. And when settled down into his room, he found that he had been right on the money. It was just a small bedroom; one bed, a dresser and not much else. Many of the wooden floorboards squeaked, and the bed lack any sheets whatsoever. The dresser was littered with dust and he even thought that he could distinguish a small blotch of faded blood smeared on the back wall. It did have one small window, but that seemed to be its only light source.

Much of what was remaining in the day was spent by the small group by unpacking and settling into their new lodging. Not that they really had much to unpack. Being forced to run away from their lives back in Sienne, they weren't able to gather up all their valuables.

Which could turn out to hurt them soon. Their small reservoir of gold would run thin at twenty five gold pieces a night. They would need some sort of monetary income to live off of, or they would be forced to move out onto the streets.

But, many of them did not want to worry about that today. Being so crestfallen, it was easy to understand why. They'd talk about money tomorrow; today everyone would remain confined to their own thoughts.

Ike threw his knapsack that was basically just another set of clothes at the foot of his bed. It was all that he had to show for himself. Gone, everything was gone.

Sure, he could try to go back to the fort and claim what else he owned. But this is Zadonia we are talking about. The fort may very well be burnt to the ground.

With a great sigh of relief after a long, hard day, Ike fell to his bed. It was about as comfortable as it looks, he soon found out, and it didn't look very comfortable. Ah, well. He didn't expect much so it wasn't much of a letdown.

The sun was beginning to fade out the window, and the candlelight was becoming increasingly prominent. It left an eerie glow of bright orange hue on all the things in the room. One of the reasons why Ike preferred sunlight over candlelight. Candlelight was too artificial, too base and evil.

But not like it really mattered. He was about to dose the small flame when who should show up but Boyd.

With a look of fierce determination and a strong aura of pride in his eyes, he stated confidently, "It's time."

Of course, Ike knew what he was talking about. What little Boyd had said in the past day and a half had been about Mist. Be it a tactic or strategy for rescuing her or just wishing her well aloud, Boyd had been a never ending source of words about Mist.

And it had been a couple of nights. The guards were probably beginning to mobilize the slaves and their observance over them was probably beginning to dwindle.

Ike didn't hesitate to reach into his pocket and pull out the thick leather bag which contained the communication rock. He pulled out the dull blue rock and handed it to Boyd. After doing so, he said, "I think that you are right. It is time. Just do it in here though."

Boyd took a seat on the ground and looked at the rock, perplexed. "How does it work?" he asked.

Ike sat down on a chair near Boyd. "Just talk into it. That is all it takes. In fact, she has probably heard every word we have said, now that the rock is out of its protective sound barrier…"

* * *

Life as a prisoner was tough.

And they haven't even begun to really do anything yet. Thousands upon thousands of soon to be slaves were shackled, one behind the other. The single file line of all those men and women and children who had been captured stretched on for miles and miles.

The days were long and the food was little. You were considered lucky if you got a slice of bread for dinner. One of the many little things that, for the first, Mist appreciated for their true worth. Things like bathrooms, baths, beds, and walls to live under were nonexistent in this prisoner lifestyle.

Friends were also missing in a prisoner's lifestyle. Mist hadn't seen any of her former companions since the time when Tellius had fallen. The Greil Mercenaries, Ike, her husband… They were all gone. As if they had never existed.

Well, that part wasn't necessarily true. Quite a few people up the line of prisoners, Mist thought she could see the bright green hair that belonged to Oscar. But not like that really consoled her in the slightest. It relieved her to see that he was alright, but it wasn't like that had any way to communicate.

She did still have little Carolyn, though. By some miracle, they had been chained up right after the other. So during all this harsh marching in crazy conditions, Mist still had her new friend walking right in front of her the whole time.

She was a sweet, innocent little girl, Carolyn was. She was very quiet though. Didn't talk too often. That was alright, though. These days, Mist herself was quiet. So much has happened in the past couple of days.

Three days, it has been, since Sienne fell, and Tellius with it. The day after, they had begun a long march to goddesses only know where. And as of now, Mist had no idea where she was.

Finally, after a long, 14-hour day of almost nonstop walking, the guards finally allowed for some sleep. This was quickly becoming her favorite part of the day. It was the time that guards finally gave the prisoners a chance to breathe.

At night, hardly any Zadonia men patrolled the line. If you were daring enough, you could probably brake lose, if you somehow got out of the chains tying everyone together, without any Zadonians ever knowing.

In fact, there were quite a few rumors traveling up and down the line on that very subject. About how various people had made it to freedom because one of their shackles was loose. Mist wasn't sure if any of these were true, but all the same, they were inspiring.

Mist looked around in the dark. Everyone around her was already asleep. Even Carolyn was asleep, and she usually said "good-night" to Mist every evening before going to bed.

Mist herself was about to lay down when she heard it. The voice she had been longing for. Just barely audible through the coverings of her clothes, Mist knew instantly that it was his voice.

* * *

"Mist?" Boyd asked cautiously through the stone in Ike's room. "Are you there?"

Not even a moment later, a hushed whisper contained with happiness and glee answered the call. "Boyd!" Mist's voice exclaimed. "You're alright!"

"You're alone right?" Boyd asked in a hushed whisper.

"As alone as I'm going to get." She replied. "But did you get away? Or are you a prisoner, too?"

"No, I got away, and so did Ike, Soren, Lethe, Ranulf, and Tauroneo. But as far as I know, that is all." Boyd's voice expressed concern. "But what about you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, considering the circumstances."

"I'm sorry, Mist. I tried as hard as I could, but I couldn't get to you…"

"It's alright, Boyd."

"I just feel so bad because I got away and you didn't…" He said hysterically.

"Boyd…" she sighed impatiently.

"Please forgive me?"

"I already have." She said simply and affectionately.

Boyd smiled. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She replied. "So, is Ike there?"

In truth, Boyd had been so intently focused on the stone that he didn't even hear Ike get up and leave the small room. Boyd stared at the chair that he thought Ike was sitting in, looking confused. There was no trace of where Ike had gone. Boyd shrugged it off and passed it as inconsequential.

"Well, he was." Boyd replied, turning his attention back to precious stone. "Seems to have vanished, though."

Boyd heard Mist laugh. "Yeah, he tends to do that."

"Tell me about it…" Boyd muttered, recalling Ike's filching ways back at the mercenary fort.

Ah, those were simpler days. Well before even the Mad King's War, Ike and Boyd were best of friends and first class mischief-makers, much to the dismay of Titania. If there was trouble to be had, you'd better believe the two were right in the thick of it. And for the most part, they got away with it. Though there were those times in which Titania would catch them. And let's just say that Ike always had a knack for "weaseling out" of the consequences.

"Well," Mist said after a moment or two. "Just tell him that next time, I want to talk to him too."

"Will do, love." Boyd replied longingly.

"Listen, Boyd, I should probably go." Mist said regretfully.

"Alright, Mist. But just one last thing. Where are you? Do you have any idea?" He wasn't expecting much but it was worth a shot.

"I really don't know. But I have a suspicion that we are on our way to Zadonia."

Boyd cursed inwardly. It was what he had thought all along, but still, it came as a let-down.

"Alright, good-bye, Mist. I love you. Just remember, Mist, we'll be coming for you. You, and everyone else that suffers under the shackles of injustice that is Zadonia. We will find you."

"I want to believe you, Boyd. I really do."

* * *

Ike found a nice stump to sit down on outside the lodging house that they were staying at. He couldn't stay in his room. He always felt like an intruder when he was in the company of Mist and Boyd. When they got focused on each other, it was like he didn't even exist. Well, he wouldn't bother them with his presence, not tonight. Not when Mist and Boyd were finally reunited with speech.

And what a sight to behold it was outside! There was not a cloud in sight, letting all the stars in the sky shine on through the dark. The eerie, yet somehow comforting, white light given off by the stars blanketed the ground around Ike, giving him the ability to see pretty far, given the lack of sunlight.

He had thought about many things in the past weeks. What to do next, where to go, how are the rest doing, among others.

But, strangely enough, the most common thought was about his parents. Indeed, the two of them seemed to be his only inspiration anymore. And in thinking about them, he wasn't really grieving for them, though that sometimes did happen, reducing Ike to tears. Mainly, when he thought about his parents, he was thinking:

"What would they do?"

It was difficult to answer though. What _would _they do?

If there was anything Ike knew about his father, it was that Griel never backed away from a challenge. No matter how big the obstacle, he would attempt to tackle it. And it almost every instance, he was able to tackle it.

And though Ike couldn't remember Elena that well, he knew that she was a woman of her word. A woman who lived for her country. She was intensely loyal to Crimea as well as her family, and she too never shied away from a challenge. The difference between her and Griel, though, was that she never deliberately went seeking out one.

Would they immediately retaliate with a counter-strike? No, they would know that would be suicide. There is nobody left to strike with!

Would they run away to a new country, as they had when they fled to Gallia? That also seems highly unlikely. The only reason they had run away from Daein was because of the power and corruption that was spreading through its ranks. Neither of them would desert Crimea.

Would they get away to somewhere safe and regroup? That always seemed like the best choice to Ike. If they regrouped, then attacked, they wouldn't desert Crimea nor would they kill themselves in an impulsive counter strike.

Of course, Ike had come to this conclusion many times in the past few days. And of course, he had already mentioned it to Soren, who said that was a good idea. And yet, a few questions stilled remained.

Where and how?

It definitely had to be outside of Tellius' borders. Anything inside would most likely be discovered by one of the many spies Zadonia boasts.

All other places were unfamiliar territory, though. To the east, there was desert. Ike had crossed that off immediately as too dangerous. The heat there, Ike had heard, was unbearable and has been known to kill many.

To the north were mountainous snow lands. This was a possibility as there were many little caves and alcoves to hide in. The down side was that it was cold, and that they would become disconnected from society. So you could cross out recruiting right off the top.

To the south lay many scattered, little islands. These too you could hide on, but these usually experienced good temperatures. But again, if they went there, they would be away from other people they could recruit for the cause.

To the west lay the Empire of Zadonia. The very stronghold of the men that he wanted out of his country. That was a definite no-no.

Ike was thinking of this so intently that he barely heard a twig crack a few feet to his left. Ike whirled around on his stump to face the noise, expecting it to be Boyd or someone from the group he had left. But instead, initially, he saw nothing. It took him a moment or two to realize that it was not a man, but some kind of wolf figure. He couldn't see the details or color in the dark, but he knew who it was.

He turned back to the position he was facing before, with the wolf on his left, and said, "I should have known that you would follow me out here, Lethe."

She reverted back to her human form. "Ike, why the hell would you wander off like that? We don't need you to get kidnapped in the middle of the night because you made the stupid decision to sneak off!"

"Calm down, Lethe." Ike said, staring off into the woods in front of him. "I'm just thinking."

"Yeah, and if you keep this up, you'll soon be thinking while in a Zadonian cell! Come on, let's get inside." Lethe said, trying to urge him to come with her.

"Is this concern I'm hearing out of you, Lethe?" Ike said, grinning. "I never thought that I would see the day."

"No!" She replied hotly. "We've just lost so many so far, and we can't afford to lose anymore."

Ike didn't reply, and instead, he focused on the half-risen moon, which dangled in the sky before him. Moonlight was much different than sunlight. Whereas sunlight showed you everything, moonlight only showed you what you wanted to see, and concealed the rest in its envelope of darkness. You can never know for certain lay in the shrouds of moonlight…

But Ike was fairly certain that Zadonia did not lay behind that blanket of imperceptibility. With Zadonia as dominant as it was, they probably wouldn't even bother with the countryside. They were known for taking over just the main cities when taking over a nation. After taking the cities, they'd just 'declare' the rest theirs, and never were they denied.

"What are you thinking about?" Lethe said with an evident change of tone, now with more concern than anger.

Ike paused. "About what we are…going to do next."

"Why do you Beorc always over complicate things?" Lethe asked rhetorically. "I thought it would be obvious to you that we need to fight back!"

"Yeah, I got that far…" Ike muttered. "But how? We have nobody left."

Lethe didn't get a chance to answer because at that very moment, another man entered the scene. "Ike!" Boyd exclaimed as he saw Ike sitting on the stump, not taking any notice of Lethe. "Oh, there you are. You know, that was very rude of you."

"What are you talking about?" Ike asked, a little irked.

"You walked out on us!" Boyd exclaimed. "Mist wanted to talk to you, you jerk. Why did you leave?"

"Yeah, I know." Ike sighed. "I just… I just needed to think, that's all."

"You know, Ike," Boyd replied. "You don't need to leave whenever Mist and I are alone with you."

Ike didn't reply.

Boyd continued. "You mean as much to her as I do."

Still no reply.

"I'll just leave you to your thoughts then." Boyd said, turning to leave.

Ike just stared at the ground below his feet as he listened to Boyd's footsteps fade into nothingness. And he continued to do so until he felt a hand on his shoulder. The tender, compassionate hand caused him to turn his head and look up at the source in wonder.

"You can't continue to lock your friends out of your life, Ike." Lethe said.

"What are you talking about? I'm with my friends now, aren't I? Well, what's left of them, that is…"

"Oh, come on, Ike." Lethe said with anguish. "I know that you aren't that shallow. You physically 'lock' yourself in your room away from everybody but for meals, and then you say that you aren't locking your friends away?"

"I just need my time to think."

"Oh, like you are now?" Lethe replied skeptically. "No, Ike, you are out here now not to 'think', but to get away from Mist and Boyd."

Caught red-handed, Ike chose to stay silent.

"Why do you push us away?"

Silence.

"Is it because you don't like us?"

"No!" Ike exclaimed loudly. "I like every last one of you! I would die for any single one of my friends, you know that Lethe."

"Well, I'm not so sure anymore…"

"I do!" Ike sighed. "What do I have to do to prove it?"

"Tell me the reason why you keep pushing us away."

"It's just…" Ike sighed once more. "Lethe, this whole war is my fault! The reason why Zadonia is even here is to bring me down! Lethe, I'm pushing my friends away because I care about them. Zadonia is after me, there is no reason why my friends should be brought down as well."

Lethe waited patiently for him to finish and paused a moment before replying. "Ike, where the _hell_ did you get the idea that this war was caused by you?"

Ike was startled by her blunt reply. "I- The battle at Melior, I…"

"What about the battle at Melior?"

"Where their commander demanded that you all present me to end the war…"

"Stop right there, Ike." Lethe interrupted. "I know where this is going. And that is not what you make it out to be."

"What are you talking about?" Ike stated. "I think it is pretty obvious…"

"It's not as obvious as you make it out to be, Ike." Lethe answered. "What you don't get is that Zadonia is not only after you. Their main goal is to take over Tellius, which they have done."

"But…"

"Ike, listen to me." Lethe said forcefully. "This is not your fault. None of this is your fault. You did everything that you could to protect everyone you ever loved."

"Yeah, and look at how far that got me…" Ike muttered. "Only five of my friends remain…"

"Ike, look. You can't continue to wallow yourself in self-pity. If it were me, I would want to do something about it."

They were all out there somewhere. Mist, Oscar, Titania… There were too many to count, yet all of them were now incarcerated somewhere. And Lethe was completely right. They had to get them back.

'You only have one life. And it's your decision whether you want to live it out or live in regret.'

Life's lessons that Greil had taught Ike throughout the time they had together were nothing short of genius. Book knowledge was always Elena's thing, but Greil always had the smarts to prevail over whatever life threw at you. And this particular quote that Greil had said to him on numerous occasions stood out in Ike's memory.

'Act on your gut instinct' was always how Ike interpreted this quote. Greil had always told Ike to act on your first instinct, because if you don't and it turns out to be the right decision, you will live in regret. At least if you try and it turns out to be the wrong decision, then you could always just go back. But if you pass up on your gut instinct on the first time around, more than likely there won't be a second time.

And it was time to act.

"Lethe…" Ike said, feeling his eyes glossing over. "You're right. We need to get them back."

"I know I'm right, that's what I've been trying to tell you."

Ike did the best he could to stifle a laugh. Good ol' humble Lethe…

"Lethe…Thank you. You've opened my eyes. We've got to get our friends back. And give the bastards locking them up a nice beating."

Even in the nearing pitch-black conditions, Ike knew that Lethe was grinning mischievously. "Revenge!" She exclaimed. "I love it!"

Finally, after what seemed like a hours, Ike finally stood up from his stump. He turned to face the vague outline of Lethe he saw a few feet to his left and said, "Well, we should probably head inside…"

She grinned deviously and said, "That's what I was trying to get you to do a while ago." She turned around and began walking in the direction of the small torch that had been lit on the porch of the small building they were staying at.

"Lethe, wait!" She spun around to face him again as Ike caught up to her.

"What is it, Ike?"

Even two feet away from her, Ike was not able to see much of her face. But her bright, purple eyes seemed to radiate, illuminating them in the otherwise dark night.

"Thanks again…" He said. And without thinking of the consequences, without thinking about what others might think, without thinking much at all really, Ike acted on his gut instinct. He took two small steps forward, and after placing a tender hand on her cheek, he moved his lips toward hers.

Ike had never been with a girl before, and he wasn't sure if Lethe had ever been with a guy, either. The kiss was awkward and clumsy at first, but after a moment, Ike was putting on display just how much he passionately cared for this woman.

And never before had Ike been so happy.


	13. Chapter 13

****

Hello, all! Not much to say again, just that my rehab is actually quite time-consuming, so I may not get to write as much as I anticipated. Oh, well, I can't say that I expected much. Enjoy the update!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Ike woke the next morning to the sounds of a man calling his name. A man with a gruff voice and with a purpose. He knew that voice by now. It was his father's friend from long ago. The man who, though sheer force of will and heart, had remained emotionally stable throughout this entire conflict, and ultimately, the fall of Tellius.

Tauroneo walked into the room and called out to his blue-haired, still sleeping commander and friend, "Ike, it's…" He gasped midway through his sentence. "Oh, er, I'm sorry, Ike…I'll just come back later…" Tauroneo blushed, unbeknownst to Ike, and quickly left the room, making sure to firmly shut the door behind him.

What was he talking about? That was weird. What was he so…?

Oh.

Shit.

* * *

Oh my goddesses, where was he?

It had to be almost noon, and yet Ike had not even showed up for breakfast yet. And to Soren, that was a complete phenomenon. Ike could always be trusted to be one of the first ones up every morning. It wasn't like him to sleep in.

And of all days, it had to be today? The day that Soren revealed his plan, their plan, to get out of this. The first part in what would become their rebellious uprising.

This was way too important. They had to execute as quickly as possible. Though he doubted that Zadonia was anywhere near them, they could be within striking distance. A risk Soren wanted to avoid.

And he was getting tired of waiting. Everyone was waiting for him in Soren's room. Soren sighed. "Can somebody go get our sleeping beauty?" He asked finally.

Tauroneo rose at once. "I'll go get him." With that, he walked out the door, leaving an awkward silence behind him, among the rest in the room.

* * *

"Oh goddesses, oh goddesses," Ike muttered hysterically to himself over and over again. "What have I done?!"

Next to him, in his bed, lay the woman of his dreams. Oblivious to the commotion of hysteria and madness around her, Lethe slept on…

The discarded remains of the majority of his removed clothes, mixed up and entangled with a set that used to be worn by a certain Laguz friend, confirmed his suspicions and his fears.

A small window was open, providing a stinging, strong gale of wind upon the crime scene. It carried the stentch of guilt, and it fought its way through the thick quilt that covered his body as well hers, biting his smooth, exposed skin to the touch.

"No!" Ike cried out, longer and louder than he had previously muttered.

She stirred in her sleep from the outburst. Unaffected by the sheer wind that pierced Ike's skin and unaware of the torment that he was going through, she continued to sleep at ease, peacefully, in a time that boasted darkness, distrust and, in general, evil.

Peaceful…and perhaps the most beautiful Ike had ever seen her.

She lay next to him, sheets cuddled up around her chin and something of a smile plastered on her soft and passionate lips. A genuine smile, as if she truly didn't care about the threat of Zadonia. As if she could care less about anything having to do with Zadonia. Her gorgeous, deep orange hair dangled innocently over her eyes, capping off her Goddess-like beauty and giving her the impression of the divine.

The Laguz are a proud species. But at this point in time, she did not look haughty and proud; rather humble and modest. A certain aura emanated from her nature and radiated from her body. An aura that sprung forth from her being, and made Ike feel, for lack of a better word, _happy_. As if there was no danger in the world, only peace. As if there was no hatred in the world, only love. As if there was no evil in the world, only good and righteousness.

An aura, of which, had not been in existence until recently. Only had she possesses it since the transgressor had done wrong against her…

And never before had Ike felt so ashamed of anything in his whole entire life. He had wronged the one he thought he loved, the one that he thought he cared for. He did not deserve such a perfect maiden…

Lethe stirred once again in her sleep. Finally, Ike gathered the strength to pull himself up to a sitting position. A very tedious task when you are burdened under the weight of guilt.

So beautiful…So innocent…So fine was the one they call "Lethe". Under a rough, proud exterior lies a woman who, not only loved, but also took pride in the ones she loved. Quick to anger, even quicker to remorse, she was a woman of hidden values. One might think, due to her aggressive nature, that she is a woman with no morals. But as someone who has really gotten to know her, Ike would tell you differently.

No one word can accurately describe her entire being acutely, down to the finest detail. To describe her to her fullest, one must come up with a string of tens, hundreds, nay, thousands of words that describe a single different quality that she possesses.

No. There was a word that describes her. The word "Lethe". A word that means protector of the truth, loving and passionate, free-spirited and noble, loyal and strong, knowledgeable and personable, kind and down-to-earth, gentle and virtuous,…

And a woman who deserves much more than a oppressive man, who takes no thought of consequences into his decision making, and exploiter of all things true.

Lethe rolled over on her back; at that point, finally awake. She opened her eyes and looked at Ike with her great, wondrous purple eyes that pierced his skin as much as the wind did. She smiled coyly up at him from under the covers and said, "Good morning."

Ike lost it. With his back against the bed's mantle and his knees hugged up against his chest, he shed a waterfall of tears. Tears, of which, he wasn't sure where came from: happiness or anguish.

With her sheets still wrapped around her whole body, save her head, she looked up at his buried head, puzzled. "What's wrong, Ike?"

As a desperate man with no options, Ike had nowhere to go. He could not hold it in any longer…

"Lethe…" He sobbed hysterically. "What have I done!?"

She was taken aback. Never before had she seen him so down, so broken… And it was pitying to see him like this, and for no logical reason.

"What are you talking about Ike?"

"Don't play, Lethe, I shouldn't have done that! What the hell was I thinking…"

"Ike, you've done nothing wrong." She laid a comforting hand on his back. "I wanted this, too."

"But-"

"You wanted this too, right?"

"Yes, definitely! But-"

"But what?"

"It was just stupid of me, Lethe! We're in the middle of a huge war! What would happen if you are carrying a child now?"

"Do you think that I haven't already thought about that?" Lethe replied. "Ike, I have considered all the bad things, but none of the bad will ever amount to the good that is to be gained! I have thought everything through, Ike, and I still want you."

With a deep sense of pity and sympathy, Ike's eyes locked with hers. "Lethe, I…I love you." He bent his head down and kissed her on her cheek.

As he pulled away, Lethe smiled and said, "I always wished you would say that."

Finally, Ike got up. "It's getting pretty late, we should get up." He walked to the small pile of discarded clothes, taking what was his and laying on the mattress what was hers. Getting dressed, he asked, "Can we just keep this a secret, for a little while?"

"We're going to have to tell them sometime, Ike." Lethe answered, skeptically.

"Yeah, I know, but please? Just for right now?"

"Well…alright. I'll keep our secret."

"Thank you, Lethe." He finished tidying up, and then said, "I'll see you at breakfast."

* * *

"Well?" Soren asked when Tauroneo had returned. "Where is he?"

"Let him sleep, Soren." Tauroneo stated simply, sitting back down. "He looked exhausted."

"What about Lethe? Where is she?"

"I don't know." Tauroneo lied. "I didn't check on her."

"This is ridiculous, Tauroneo!" Soren nearly hollered. "Did I mention that this was important? We need Ike here before I can tell anybody!"

"Tell me what?" At the moment, Ike had been passing by Soren's room, on his way to the dining room, where breakfast was still being served to the late risers.

"Finally!" Soren exclaimed in relief. "Hurry up, Ike, we have much to discuss."

"What's up, Soren?" Boyd asked. "Why are you acting so weird?"

Soren ignored this.

"Yeah, Soren, lighten up." Ranulf added. "It's not like we're in any danger. All the danger is in Daein right now."

"All the same, we need to get out of here as quickly as possible." Soren answered, and then redirected his attention to Ike. "Ike, I think I may have finally come up with a plan."

"Really? That's great!" Ike exclaimed happily. "What is it?"

"We go to Zadonia."

Everyone in the room looked utterly baffled. The noisy chatter died in the room stopped instantly, and everyone stared at the young tactician with curiosity and doubt.

"Um, Soren?" Ranulf said after an awkward period of silence. "I don't know if you realized this yet, but we are at _war _with Zadonia. How could we possibly find refuge there?"

"Alright, look, first of all, we _were _at war with Zadonia. But, I am sure by now, the news has been spreading throughout Zadonia that we have suffered a huge defeat, and that we are all but done for. We can use that to our advantage."

"What possible use could that serve, Soren?" Boyd questioned doubtfully.

Soren sighed impatiently. "Obviously, if they think the war is over, they will let their guards down. And, with the leader of the Zadonian army being a power hungry fool, he will keep his forces here, so he can take over the next unfortunate nation. That will leave their geographical location undefended and the perfect safe spot."

"So, wait, you want to go to Zadonia in order to escape the Zadonians?" Boyd asked disbelievingly. "That doesn't seem very logical."

Soren was about to retort, but Ike spoke up first. "I'm with Soren on this one. I think it is a great plan."

"What?" Ranulf exclaimed. "Ike, you cannot be serious! What could we do in going to Zadonia, other than walking out to our dooms?"

"Look, as soon as that final battle, I don't know about you, but I made it my first goal to rescue everyone who had been captured. They will be travelling to Zadonia, so why not follow then and track them before they become untackable?" Ike replied.

"Ike has got a point." Tauroneo stated. "Once they are sold in the Dynastian slave exchange, we could become unable to track them."

"Exactly." Soren confirmed. "And with the stone that links us to Mist, we might be able to find the place that they are being shipped too with relative ease."

"But how?" Ranulf asked, still unconvinced. "I don't know if there even are any ships that would be willing to ship us to the country which destroyed us, and if there is one, it would cost a fortune!"

"Don't worry about that." Soren answered. "I already found a guy willing to ship us over there, and for a relatively low price."

"Really?" Tauroneo asked, surprised. "Such a man should be hard to find at a time like this. Who is it? He's not the shady type, is he?"

"Nope." Soren replied confidently. "But you should know him well, Tauroneo." He smirked.

Tauroneo looked back at him, perplexed, but Ike, who was sitting right next to him, was beginning to catch on.

"His name" Soren elaborated. "is Nasir."

"No way!" Tauroneo exclaimed. "Nasir? Here?"

"Yep?" Soren replied smugly. "I ran into him the other day."

"Perhaps you can tell us a little more than that, Soren." Boyd stated. "Where did you see him?"

"Well, to tell you the truth," Soren replied. "I sent a messenger to Gallia as soon as we arrived in Cerdic Hill. A sent him to look for survivors, and, luckily enough, he returned with news that a dragon named Nasir was alive and well, and a few days later, Nasir came here by boat."

"Well?" Ranulf said with anticipation. "Where is he?" He glanced at the doorway, as if he expected the traitor captain turned good to appear in the room.

"He has opted to stay on board the ship until we are ready to depart. For safety purposes."

"Ah." Ike replied simply. "So, have you met with him yet?"

"Yes, I met with him in his ship not two days ago." Soren replied. "He says he is ready to go whenever. And that he is sorry for not being able to reveal himself as of yet."

"Well? When are we leaving?" Ike asked.

"I figured we'd take today to pack up." Soren answered. "And that we'll leave first thing tomorrow."

"Alright then." Ike said, getting up and heading toward the door.

"Wait!" Ranulf exclaimed, causing Ike to stop and turn around. "What about Lethe?"

"Damn!" Soren huffed. "She's still not here? Ike, could you tell her for me?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll tell her." Ike said, turning to leave before a blush crept up to his face at the mention of Lethe's name.

* * *

Lethe had still not gotten at by the end of Soren's little, for lack of a better term, "meeting", nor did she get up by dinnertime. It had gotten to the point where, since they were to be leaving tomorrow, Ike had to start packing for her. He had even passed off the lame excuse at dinner that Lethe wasn't feeling good, and that he was going to take care of her and bring her dinner in bed.

Not that she wasn't awake. She was awake, as far as Ike knew, for the entire time since she had gotten up about lunchtime. Never, though, getting out of bed.

So he was stuck packing for her, while she was in bed and staring at him.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked while Ike continued to struggle to find her belongings scattered through the room.

"Why?" Ike asked in disbelief. "Lethe, we're leaving tomorrow! What do you want me to do? Leave you here?"

"No, not that." She replied impatiently. "No, what I mean is, why do you get my hopes up…then tell me you don't like me?"

Ike stopped folding one of Lethe's spare shirts and spun around to face her. "What are you talking about? I never said anything like that."

"Then why are you trying to hide?"

Now he saw where she was going. "Lethe, I like you, I really do. But now…is not the best time for a relationship."

"Which leads me back to my first question. Why get my hopes up?" She asked, he eyes starting to glaze over.

Ike looked at her pityingly. "I don't know, Lethe, the truth is I really don't know. I couldn't resist. I know what I did hurt you, it hurt me as well. I'm sorry Lethe, I'm so sorry."

Lethe's eyes were fixed on the ceiling, unseeingly, but lifeless forms of thought and wanting. A single tear, a shining encasement of built-up sorrow, regret and love, ran down her face, slowly and dignifiedly. It passed her petite nose, continued on past her moist lips, and finally ran down her neck and stained the sheets beneath with its perfection and pity.

Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head to face his. Her sorrowful eyes pierced daggers through his skin. After a moment, she returned her stare to the ceiling. "When will this all be over?" She asked desperately.

"I don't know." Ike replied truthfully. "I really don't know. But I do know that the sooner we depart, the sooner we can end this."

Lethe didn't reply. She continued to stare at the ceiling for a moment, and then said, "I'm sorry Ike. I did not mean to get mad at you."

Ike, after a moment's hesitation, walked to the foot of her bed and took a seat. Carefully, he began to massage her foot, which was still under the cover of the sheets.

"Lethe, you…you mean a lot to me. I don't know what I would have done had you been captured by the Zadonians…"

She paused. "What about Mist?"

"Sure, I'm devastated about losing her." He replied, wearing a somber expression. "But…I think that I would have been much more devastated if it were you."

He received no reply.

After a moment's pause, Ike smirked to himself and said, "Good thing it wasn't you, either. Else I probably tried to do something stupid, like try to rescue you, as Boyd tried with Mist."

Still no answer.

"Lethe," He continued. "I don't know if you know how much you mean to me. _You_ are the reason why I fight."

Something invisible on the ceiling seemed to be captivating her attention, as she remained silent.

"I guess you want to be alone." Ike said, getting up and walking over to the door.

The moment his hand touched the doorknob, though, she called to him. "Ike, wait!" He turned his head to face her, yet his hand remained on the doorknob.

"Thank you." She said, simply and sincerely.

Ike smiled and walked out the door.

* * *

Soren had told everybody to be up by sunrise the next morning. It was a hefty request for some of them, particularly Boyd, but Soren claimed it was best if they set of as early as possible. Logic, of which, nobody was able to counter, so his requests became written in stone.

And it couldn't have been a more beautiful day to depart. The sun, in its radiance of gold and heavenly light, had risen to a point that almost all of its figure was visible over the never-ending horizon. Emitted from it, its Light glimmered off the waves in the sea to the south of town. It looked to Ike as if the wakes in the water were now encased in gold.

Never was there a more somber day. The air about town, normally swayed by the sea breeze, was unmoving. Even the most fragile leaf on the most delicate tree in all of town failed to move in even the slightest amount.

Not cold, but by no means hot at all, the temperature proved to be in their favor as they began to gather their bags before leaving. All in all, the perfect day.

The before-departure breakfast was awkward at best. Nobody succeeded in producing a topic of conversation that everyone felt like talking about. In fact, nobody really tried. Perhaps the only one who did was Ike, and that was only out of pity.

Common questions Ike posed were about this upcoming trip, for that was all, seemingly, that he was able to think about.

"How long will it take to get to Zadonia, Soren?" Ike asked, breaking the prolonged silence.

"Ike," Soren said irritably. "I told you already, I don't know! I would surmise a week, but I have no clue."

"Woah, Soren." Ike stated calmly. "I was just asking a question."

"A question you have already asked a thousand times!" Soren countered.

Ranulf snickered, but quickly became silent again when he saw Soren glaring at him. An angry Soren was something Ranulf wanted to avoid.

This discussion, and many more that morning, marked the stress that the small band was currently going through.

After a hearty and lengthy breakfast, Ike and the rest of his group were finally ready to see Nasir for the first time in a while; except for Soren, who had seen Nasir not three days earlier.

The walk to Nasir's boat was not a long one. Cerdic Hill, being a port city, was filled with boats. The place that they had stayed at had a decent view of those docks.

Soren, being the only one who knew which boat was Nasir's, lead the way. After paying for the use of their rooms, Ike followed Soren to the docks. After a second's deliberation, Soren picked out Nasir's boat among the flock.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was the same boat Nasir had used to help them, or at the time betray them, in King Ashnard's War. It was plain and normal, just like any regular boat, so it may very well be a different one as well.

Carefully, they walked up the wooden ramp and onto the ship. Nasir was not distinguishable on the decks, but there was a single door that led to the lower levels. That very door was where Soren headed next. He knocked, twice and deliberately, upon the wood.

Not a minute later, a high-pitched whine of squeaky hinges filled the air. And, at the same time, the door began to open. It opened wider and wider still. Soon, blue hair became visible, then a brown cloak, then the face that Ike had become accustomed to seeing while fighting Ashnard.

"Hello, Nasir." Ike said, trying to keep an unemotional face, but on the inside, happy to see a friend from long ago.

"Ike." Nasir said, nodding in Ike's direction. "It's been a while." He looked around at all who stood around the door. "Wow, there really isn't a lot of you left… Well, come in, we have a little to discuss before we leave."

Ike and the others followed Nasir into the door, which promptly lead them down a flight of stairs. Immediately in front of them was a relatively large table, definitely where any meetings were meant to take place.

Nasir took a spot at the large, square table, and indicated for the others to do the same. The table had more than enough spaces, with only about half of them taken when everyone had taken a spot.

The room itself, nothing fancy, was just a normal room, typical for a ship. It was lit by two candles, one on each side of the staircase leading to the main deck. Other than that, the walls were bare, save for a few doors, which Ike assumed led to the bedrooms.

"Alright, first off," Nasir started, looking at each of them intently. "Price. My fares do not come cheaply."

Soren sighed. "It's always money with you, isn't it? We'll give you all the money we have."

"No." Nasir replied. "Money isn't good enough. You say you want to go to Zadonia to rescue your friends? Then promise me you'll rescue my king as well."

"Deal." Soren replied, relieved.

Ike smirked. "We were planning on doing that anyway." Trying hard not to think of Dheginsea, one of the strongest men he ever knew, as a slave.

"Just making sure." Nasir answered. "Next. This is not the biggest ship in Tellius. And as such, we only have four rooms. And I am not rooming with anybody."

In the end, Soren and Tauroneo decided to room together, Boyd with Ike, and Lethe reluctantly agreed to room with Ranulf.

"What's the matter?" Ranulf had said while trying to convince her. "We used to room together all the time back in Gallia, while in the army."

"That's just it." She muttered. "I'm starting to get sick of you…"

"Alright." Nasir said when they got it all sorted out. "Go grab your stuff. I'd like to be out of here in an hour." Nasir got up and walked up the stairs to the main deck.

Ike grabbed the small knapsack he had packed and walked into an arbitrary room he claimed for his own. He opened the door to reveal a room which seemed to have seen better days. It was collecting a thin layer a dust on top of all the furniture and ground, a sure sign of lack of use.

It had a small window, rather a square of wood cut out of the wall, which was the solitary source of light. Housed within the room were two beds, a small table and not much else. Each bed, located on either side of the room, did not look very comfortable. Credit be given, though, they did seem much more comfortable than their previous beds.

Randomly, Ike chose the bed on the right, for no worldly reason, as the bed he shall call his during this voyage. He threw, quite literally, his small bag of belongings onto the bed with a careless, or perhaps uncaring, force. The bag bounced twice and rolled a bit further after that, slowly falling off the side of the bed.

Ike cursed, just before Boyd, too, threw his bag on the other bed. His also bounced a few times before rolling off the side as well.

Ike smirked when he heard Boyd curse in much the same manner as he had, but he didn't say anything. Quietly, he walked around the bed and picked up his feather-weight bag and placed it, slowly but in no way gently, on top of the bed. After doing so, he detached his scabbard, containing the loyal and majestic blade, Ragnell, and placed it too on top of the bed. As he did so, he felt a heavy burden lifted from his shoulders. Ragnell, though heavy for a sword, was not _heavy_. But, for some reason, he felt ten times lighter with the swift blade of truth off his back.

With his weapon, and much of his armor, discarded on top of the bed, Ike finally had a chance to lay back and relax.

Grabbing one of the two seats at the table, Ike sat down. Resting his hands on his head, Ike leaned back and closed his eyes. Boyd grabbed the other chair and, from the other side of the table, stared intently at Ike.

"Something's bothering you." He said.

Opening his eye a crack to look at Boyd, Ike replied innocently, "What are you talking about?"

"Why did you go outside last night?"

"I told you already." Ike replied rather impatiently, closing his eyes once more. "I needed to think."

"What about?"

"I don't know." Ike answered hastily. "Everything, I guess. The war, Zadonia, Mist…" His voice trailed off.

"Do you think we can still win?"

"What?"

"Do you think we can still win?" Boyd repeated.

Ike paused. "Boyd, technically, we already lost."

"Yes, I know that. But can we get our country back?"

"Boyd, I was hoping you'd pick up on it." Ike opened his eyes once more. "Remember Daein, Boyd?"

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Yes, we beat them, but do you remember what they did to us before we did beat them? They stormed in, unprovoked, and took Melior, our capital. Notice the similarities?"

"Zadonia…" Boyd muttered thoughtfully.

"Exactly." Ike said. "We do what we did in the Mad King's War and we can win."

"Yeah, but," Boyd said doubtfully. "Forgive me, but won't they be expecting that?"

"Boyd, I only had to fight that bastard in charge once to know that he is the type that only believes in power. He does not give a care about the underdogs. He only sees what is right in front of him. Which means we have the perfect opportunity to sneak up behind him."

Boyd remained unmoved.

"Alright, let's say, perchance, they are expecting us to rebel. I'd still like to see them stop us. We have better fighters than Zadonia does, just less. I can tell you right now if you were fighting any and everyone in the Zadonian army, one on one, you'd win."

Ike paused. "All we need to do is stray away from the mass of the Zadonian army. We need to find bit-sized chunks to bite off, whittling down the army to a size that we can gulp. It is the same as with Daein, except it will be longer and it will much more dangerous."

"Ike, we have six men left. You make it seem as if we have an army."

"If all goes according to plan," Ike replied. "In a week, an army we shall have."


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry guys, just went on a week-long vacation and I meant to upload before I went, but I didn't quite finish in time (just 500 words off...). Oh well, finished it now, and here is the newest update, hope you like it.**

**Note: My friend, who usually helps me proofread my chapters, has been sick and was not able to help with this chapter. I read through it numerous times, but they say the hardest thing to proofread is your own writing, so if you see anything, please let me know so that I can fix it. Thanks**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

The gentle, careless rocking of boat on the rough waves, the cool, calm breeze that boarded the ship while in route…

It was so surreal. The moment that land had become out of sight to the wayfaring ship, Ike became incredibly homesick. It wasn't like he had never been on a ship before. Hell, there were numerous that Nasir led them out of sight of Tellius for a brief period of time the last time he had directed them, and Ike never thought twice of it then.

There was one major difference this time. This would be the last time that he got to see Tellius in a long, long, long time.

"How long is the journey, Ike?"

This was a very popular question from Boyd during the course of the next two days. Neither Ike nor Boyd left their room much during that time, basically just to eat. There was not much to do while on the ship. It was void of almost everything except for reflecting.

"Boyd, I really have no idea," was Ike's most common answer. "Soren said it would be about a week, but I don't know for sure."

That was generally all that was said between the two friends while in the room. Ike appreciated Boyd's vain attempts at conversation, which Ike assumed was why Boyd kept asking how long it would be. He appreciated it, but he was in no mood for idle conversation right now.

Ike sat at his chair and gazed out the pitiful window given to them. Not much to see out there, just the water, the sky, and the line at which they met. The occasional bird, but otherwise, motionless and unyielding.

"Hey Ike?" Ike heard Boyd ask timidly from across the table.

"Yeah?"

"How do you think Mist is doing?"

Ike diverted his attention from the window to his friend. Indeed, Boyd had brought up a topic that was constantly running through his head. Mist was always on his mind for the past two days. Often times, the train of thought would lead to the rock that was sheltered by a thick, fur bag in his pocket.

"She'll be fine, Boyd." Ike said, trying to fool not only Boyd, but also himself. "We just need to get to the slave exchange in Dynastia as quickly as possible, and then we can find her. Until then, there is not much we can do but wait until this trip is over."

"I know, but…" Boyd sighed. "I just wish there was something we could do, you know?"

"Yeah, I do too." Ike smiled pityingly at his friend. He knew that he was hurt much more than Ike had been when Mist got captured. "Unfortunately, there is nothing."

Boyd paused for a moment. "What about the stone?"

"No, no, we can't. Not now." Ike said, telling Boyd what he had already mentally told himself.

"Why not? It has been two days."

"Boyd, I know that you want to talk to her again, but we can't be trying to contact her every other day." Ike asserted, as much as it pained him to do so. "We can't run the risk of her forfeiting that stone to the Zadonians and losing the only means by which we can contact her."

"I know, I know." Boyd said grumpily. "I just miss her, I'm sorry for having brought it up."

"We'll find her soon, Boyd."

Boyd smiled unemotionally. "Yeah, I know."

* * *

"Bryce, give that sub-human ten lashes!" Gabe roared.

All was not well in the house of Gabe. The past week or so have been nothing short of pure racism on Gabe's part, while Bryce did what he could to make up for his father's hatred to Caineghis, with little success.

Finally, Caineghis had cracked. Not that Bryce didn't want to do it to his step father as well. Guess driving your master's head into the wall wasn't good slave etiquette.

"Ten?" Bryce repeated, disbelievingly. "Are you serious? Don't you think that is extreme?"

"Shut up, boy!" Gabe hollered, cupping his hand on his face where it had been slammed into the wall. "Ten lashes! That servant from hell deserves even more than that!"

Caineghis, who was still standing in the downstairs hallways near the staircase where he had committed the deed, watched his master with casual indifference.

Not only had he done a number on Gabe's face, but the wall as well. A nice dent had been left in it, and anything hanging on the wall near it was now on the ground.

Bryce knew it was no use arguing with Gabe, so, regretfully, Bryce walked up the stairs to Gabe's room to grab the cat o' nine tails. One of his father's most cherished items, Bryce found it where he always stashed it, in a large cupboard on the mantle near his father's bed.

He grabbed it and held it away from his body as if it might try to bite him. When he had walked back down the stairs, he found Caineghis still standing, an aura of calm about him. Gabe was out of sight, the only remnants of him in the room were a few drops of his blood on the dented wall.

Bryce hesitated. "Come on." He said as authoritatively as he could. "Outside."

Bryce led Caineghis, who submissed without question, down the hall, into the foyer, and out the front door.

"I'm sorry, Caineghis." Bryce said pityingly. To think that they had built what could best be described as an awkward friendship. "But if I don't, Gabe will. And he will do much more than ten."

His hands against the wall of the house and his back to Bryce, Caineghis remained expressionless. The picture of Bryce wielding the whip did nothing to impose fear upon the Laguz king.

Bryce lifted the whip above his head, closed his eyes, and brought it down on Caineghis' back. He heard a blood-curling scream, and yet, Bryce lifted the whip once more. Ten times, against all his morals, Bryce lifted the whip and struck the slave.

By the end, Caineghis' slave garments, which Bryce had mercifully and deliberately left on, were in tatters. They were ripped in places, and there were places where the whip had struck bare flesh. In these areas, blood was flowing from the gnarled wounds from the whips rough exterior.

As soon as the last whipping had been dealt, Bryce immediately let go of the whip. Careful to make sure his stepfather wouldn't hear, Bryce whispered apologetically, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Caineghis gasped. His voice was raspy and short, probably due to the fact that he had screamed his lungs out. Bryce felt a pang of pity toward the former great Laguz king. The massive king of the past had been reduced to nothing, due to his country, Zadonia.

"Bryce!" Even outside the house and a think stone wall between him and his stepfather, Bryce was able to clearly hear Gabe's penetrating voice, calling for him.

Bryce quickly back away from the slave and picked up the whip, which he had dropped. In a matter of seconds, Gabe's form appeared in the doorframe. "Bryce!" Gabe hollered again for good measure.

"Yes?" Bryce replied innocently.

Gabe glanced at Caineghis, who still remained in the same position as he had been in after he had been whipped, for a brief moment before redirecting his attention back at Bryce.

"Oh, good." Gabe said quietly, something that was uncharacteristic of him."You did do it. I was afraid that you wouldn't. Alright, well, get him cleaned up." He ended tartly; Bryce could tell that Gabe did not care for his slave's well-being.

Bryce watched his father turn and walk away, and waited for a second before addressing Caineghis. "Can you walk?"

"Y-yeah." Slowly, Caineghis removed his hands from the side of the building. He did so painfully, and though he stood up right now, he kept his back bend in the same way as it had been when he was on the wall.

Caineghis took a few steps toward the door, but had to stop before he reached it. The pain he is feeling must be unbearable.

Bryce made to help his slave, but as soon as Bryce touched Caineghis's arm, Caineghis violently shook it away. "Hands off, Beorc!" He said angrily. "I don't need any help."

"But…"

"I said no!"

With renewed energy, Caineghis proudly and independently walked up the stairs and into the building he currently served in. Once inside, Bryce concedingly followed his slave back into the house, and shut the door behind them. Caineghis needed no direction from there, he made his way through the foyer, into the hallway, and into the closet which he called his room. It would seem that he didn't want to talk, for his door was closed by the time Bryce got there.

Bryce had wanted to talk to him, but gave in. Instead of pursuing after Caineghis in his room, Bryce returned to the safety of his. He immediately collapsed upon his bed for what he hoped to be a long nap. He did that so quickly that he did not even notice the glowing orb of light, appearing on the sea near the horizon.

* * *

Ike woke up on the fifth morning after they had left much the same as any other day. It was late, maybe almost ten in the morning, before he actually got up out of bed. During this boat trip, Ike served almost as an alarm clock for Boyd. When Ike got up, so did Boyd.

When Ike walked out of his room and into the dining room outside, Ike found two people waiting for him. That was unusual as most of the time the room was empty, probably because he got up so late. What really made it unusual was that Soren and Nasir were talking in hushed whispered before they had noticed Ike had shown up.

"Good morning, Ike." Soren said impassively as Ike took a seat at the table next to Soren.

"Hey, Soren." Ike replied. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, can't complain." Soren answered quietly.

"Hey, what gives? Where's the food?" Boyd said as he took a seat next to Ike.

"That is what we need to talk to you about, Ike. Nasir, tell him." Soren said.

"Rats." Nasir explained simply. "Discovered them yesterday down in our storage room, eating our food. I managed to kill them all and salvage some food, though not very much."

"W-what are you saying?" Ike said fearfully.

"Ike, we are going to need to stop somewhere." Soren replied.

"Where, Soren?" Ike cried hysterically. "We are in the middle of a huge ocean! Where can we possibly stop to get food?"

"Calm down, Ike." Soren replied coolly."I have a solution. As of now, we have set course for the slave exchange in northern Zadonia, which is still almost four days away yet." Somewhere next to him, Ike heard Boyd whimper. Soren continued, "But that is not the most direct route to land. We can go to a more southern town in Zadonia to restock on food first. Nasir, what was the name of that town you were suggesting again?"

"It is a small town by the name of Farlor." Nasir replied. "It is remote, but it is not void of resources. We should be able to get enough food there to last us the three or four day journey to the slave exchange."

Ike felt considerably less wearisome after hearing that. "And how long is it to Farlor?" He asked.

"About two days." Soren replied. "I suggest that-"

"Two days!" Boyd exclaimed disbelievingly next to Ike. "Are you serious? We'll die in that time!"

"We won't die in that time, Boyd." Soren retorted. "For lunch tomorrow, we'll eat the rest of what we have. From that, we should be fine for another day until we dock and get more food."

Even though Boyd was none too happy, it was definitely what was best for them, considering the circumstances. After Soren and Nair had finished explaining what was going on, they each hurried off to their respective rooms, leaving Ike and Boyd alone, with no food.

An audible grumble that emitted from Boyd's stomach ended what was before an awkward silence. "Goddesses, I am hungry." Boyd said quietly. "I am going back to the room."

Boyd got up and left, leaving Ike alone. Soon after, he heard his own stomach growl. He, too, was about to get up and return to the room, when a different door opened.

"Ike!" Ranulf exclaimed, yawning. "How's it going?" Ranulf walked over and sat down next to Ike.

"Hey, Ranulf, been sleeping this whole time?" Ike smirked.

"Yep." Ranulf replied, grinning. "I got nothing better to do. So, where's the grub?"

Ike smirked. This was going to be a long couple of days.

* * *

As Soren had predicted, land was spotted by noon of the second day. Also, as Nasir had said, Ike could tell that Farlor was not the most urban town. It did, however, possess a dock and a large building in front of that dock, and that was all they really needed.

Soren had announced an urgent meeting to be held before they landed, to be held in the dining room. He said that he would go over last minute details. All on the boat complied to the time in was to be held, but whether that was because they really wanted to know the information Soren had to give or if they just didn't have anything better to do, Ike did not know.

"Alright, everyone here?" Soren did a quick head count before continuing. "Alright good. I'll make this quick, I just wanted to go through a few things with you all before we dock. I'm sure none of you are this dumb, but I just want to remind you that this is Zadonia we are docking at. This is hostile territory, and that being the case, we do not want to attract unnecessary attention to ourselves. Try to blend in as much as possible."

"You don't think that they attack us outright, do you Soren?" Ike asked a little uneasily.

"Why should they?" Soren responded. "They have no idea that we are from Tellius, even if they were to search our ship. No, they won't attack us right now; all I'm saying is that we shouldn't walk out there as distinguishable Crimean freedom fighters."

Soren continued. "Alright, that is all I really wanted to say. Let's make this quick."

All was then quiet. As the land approached nearer and nearer through the small window beneath decks, Ike noticed Ranulf seemed to be getting jumpier.

"What's up, Ranulf?" Ike asked curiously. "Nervous?"

Ranulf looked almost fearful as he replied, "I-I think I fell a sense…that I have not felt in a long time."

Ike stared back blankly. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't feel it?" Ranulf asked quietly to Lethe, who was sitting next to him. She shook her head, and Ranuld said in reply, "Forget I said anything. I'm sure it is nothing." Ike could easily tell he was lying, though, as Ranulf maintained a look of fear afterwards. Ike did not pursue the subject, and soon, they were docking on the shore of Zadonia.

* * *

"Bryce!" Gabe hollered loudly, though he was not ten feet from his stepson. "Get up, we have seafaring guests!"

Gabe hurried off immediately after saying that, but Bryce took another minute or two to get up out of bed. So much for a nap, Gabe had woke him up after only ten minutes or so. Stretching, Bryce got up and yawned loudly. Sure enough, Bryce soon noticed, a ship was indeed visible out his window, and it was approaching their dock slowly.

Taking his time, Bryce put on his humble shoes and walked down the stairs. Passing through the downstairs hallway, he took note of the fact that Gabe had left Caineghis inside his closet. Either he was beginning to back away from his cruel ways, or he just didn't want to have guests see what he has done to his slave. Bryce assumed the latter.

When Bryce had walked out the front door, Bryce found Gabe already out on the dock, awaiting the visitors. Bryce walked up and to his left and a little behind him as well, watching as the boat pulled into dock.

In total, seven people walked off the boat. After they had dropped plank, they all scrambled off and onto the dock. A blue haired man stood in front of the rest. He was tall and sheathed and impressive-looking blade at his back. Behind him were a green-haired man wielding a large axe, an elfin man with black hair, a large man clad in shining silver armor, and three other men in body-covering tan robes.

"Welcome, friends!" Gabe pronounced loudly to the men getting off the boat, his arms outstretched. "You must be tired. Please, rest in my humble home!"

The blue haired man was the one who answered. "Oh, no, that will not be necessary. What we really need is just some food and water…"

"Nonsense! You must be tired!"

Ike looked back at Soren for support before replying, "No, we really only need food…"

"I won't take no for an answer! Now come, I'll show you to your room." Gabe turned and led the others up to the mansion he called home.

"It's alright, one night will be fine." Soren whispered as the group began to follow the man up to his house.

"Gabe's the name by the way, and this is my stepson, Bryce. Bryce, lead our guests up to the guest room."

"Yes sir." Bryce replied as Gabe walked back inside and into the kitchens.

"You'll have to excuse my stepfather." Bryce said as lead them into the house. "He can get a bit pushy."

Bryce led the way to the guest bedroom on the second floor. "This is the only spare room we have, I am afraid. It has ten beds, but it is only one room. Hopefully you know each other well."

"We'll be fine." Ike replied. "Thank you for letting us stay here."

"So, are you all comfortable? Call if you need anything." And with that, Bryce left.

Ike watched as the door shut behind their new host's stepson. When it banged shut, Ike looked at Soren once more and said immediately, "What now?"

Everyone else in the room, too, fixed their attention on Soren, for what was going on definitely did not comply with Soren's expectations. "Not much else we can do, but stay here for one night. That won't do any harm." Soren replied unnerved and characteristically confident.

"But, Mist…" Boyd muttered pityingly, his voice barely audible in the unmoving air.

"Relax, Boyd, I highly doubt that a one day stop will mar our chances to save Mist and the others." Soren replied, setting his stuff on one of the many beds in the oversized guest room. Everyone else took the hint and began to pick their beds at random.

"Yeah Boyd, try to relax." Ike added. "You are too stressed."

"We all are…" Tauroneo muttered.

"Ain't that the truth." Ranulf replied dismally. He, like Lethe and Nasir, had discarded his full-body robe. He had done so after Bryce had left, so as to keep the secret hidden.

"Gabe seems like a nice man." Ike announced, trying to make conversation out of the sour tone that plagued the room. "He is nothing like what I had pictured a Zadonian citizen to be."

"Don't get caught up in appearances." Nasir cautioned. "Zadonians have been known to be very deceitful people."

"Nasir's right, Ike." Soren added. "Never trust a Zadonian."

"What?" Boyd asked disbelievingly. "You think that this 'Gabe' is going to, well, betray us?"

"Yeah, that seems a little far-fetched, Soren." Ike said doubtfully. "Why would he want to betray us if we outnumber him?"

"Not betray us." Tauroneo answered. "No, my guess is that he will try to take advantage of us somehow."

"What are you saying?" Ranulf asked flabbergasted. "That Zadonians are nothing more than a pack of swindlers?"

"That is exactly what they are." Soren concurred.

Soren was about to continue with that when a knock at their door cut him short.

* * *

"Bryce, take this food up to our guest's room. Make the slave help you. Tell them that it is a complementary gift from Gabe."

From in the kitchen, Gabe hastily handed Bryce two trays of seven plates of food altogether. Gabe took no notice as Bryce struggled to even get out of the room without dropping the food. With some effort, Bryce walked through the hall to Caineghis' closet and kicked at the door.

Moments later, Caineghis opened the door, groggy and definitely still in pain. "Are you well enough to walk?"

Caineghis mumbled incoherently in reply, which Bryce took as a yes.

"Can you grab one tray for me?" Bryce said, handing a tray to Caineghis, who reluctantly accepted. "We've got guests. Follow me, we need to take this to them up in the second floor guest room."

Bryce led the way, being sure to take it slow to wait for Caineghis. When he had gotten to the room, Bryce knocked twice, and after doing so walked on in.

"Alright, everyone," Bryce announced as he and Caineghis walked in. "Dinner's here-" He was cut short as another voice projected over his.

"Caineghis?" Ranulf exclaimed.

Bryce looked at the man who had talked, wondering where he had come from. "What's goin-"

Again he was cut off, as the sound of a fallen tray, clanging on the ground, distracted his train of thought.

All at once, a sword, an axe and spear became visible and were fixed on the oblivious stepson. "You Zadonian scum!" The blue haired man roared furiously. "Release this man immediately!"

Bryce had no idea what to say I the face of three weapons, but luckily, someone else spoke up for him. "Ike, don't." Caineghis murmured quietly. "He didn't do anything."

"Didn't do anything? Caineghis, you're shackled up! Look at you, you're doing his bidding! You're nothing more than a slave!"

"No, not him, his father." Caineghis replied calmly. "I trust Bryce."

Bryce was quickly becoming very confused. "W-what's going on?" He asked nervously.

"What's going on?" Thundered another blue-haired man; this one with a tail. "You've enslaved my king!"

"Ranulf, stop." The man named Ike said, and then he directed his attention to Caineghis. "You completely trust this man?"

"Without a doubt."

"With your life?"

"Definitely." Caineghis replied once more.

"Alright." Ike said, sheathing his sword, the other two doing the same with their weapons. "Shut the door. We have some stuff to discuss."

Still very confused, Bryce did so and turned back to the seven eyes, staring at him.

"I'm going to be blunt with you, Bryce, I still do not trust you." Ike said once the door was closed. "But a friend of Caineghis is a friend of mine. And Caineghis!" The blue haired man turned his attention to the Laguz slave, grinning happily. "Fancy seeing you here, eh?"

"It is great to see you again, Commander Ike." Caineghis replied cheerily. "But, it is my guess that, since you are here and with few numbers, we have fallen?"

"Yes." A small, raven-haired man replied sorrowfully. "We are all that is left of the Greil Mercenaries."

"Yes, I feared that this day would come."

An awkward silence ensued.

"Just to put this out there," Bryce said, breaking the silence. "I have no idea what you guys are talking about."

"Alright, here is the gist of it." Ike said. "We are citizens of Tellius-"

"I told him that already." Caineghis interrupted.

"How much have you told him?"

"Just that I was a king of Gallia, a nation unified as Tellius and at war with Zadonia."

"Alright, well, there is not much more to say than that." Ike said thoughtfully. "Just that Tellius has fallen, and that we have snuck to Zadonia to liberate the slaves that are being sent here as we speak."

"Ah," Caineghis responded. "So that is why you are here. I must ask, though, why you are here, so far away from where the slave exchange is?"

"Wait, wait!" Bryce interrupted hysterically. "What slaves? What are you talking about, slaves?"

"We lost the war; don't you think that there would be slaves?" Ike sighed condescendingly. "More than half my friends, as well as what's left of the army of Tellius, is held captive by Amaros' forces." He turned his attention back to Caineghis. "Yes, we do realize this, but we had a little run in with rats. They ate almost all of our food two days ago. We had to dock, for we would have starved had we not."

"Sound reasoning." Caineghis replied. "But don't you think that you should get going, now that you have food once more."

"This Gabe gave us an offer that we couldn't refuse." Ike muttered angrily.

Bryce smirked. "Yeah, he tends to be a bit pushy."

"But now that we are here," Ranulf added determinedly. "We are not going to leave without the Great King of Gallia."

His words, as well the fierce unspoken words of determination that resonated off everyone else, gave proof to the loyalty of the people of Tellius. Something that Bryce had yet to fell for his own country.

The room stood quiet for a minute, until Bryce built up all the courage he could muster and said, "I'm coming with you."

"What?" The raven haired man replied, almost comically. "What would you have to gain in that?"

"I have no ties with Zadonia, nor do I want any." Bryce said confidently. "What they are doing is outrageous, and I will not stand by idly and do nothing while they continue to raze morality to the ground. Anything I can do to help you, help Tellius, I will gladly do."

"Are you sure?" Ike said uneasily. "I hope you know what you are getting yourself into. This is treason, and from what I know of Zadonia, you will be in big trouble if they ever found out. That being said, we could always do with another fighter. As you can see, we are low at the moment."

"Alright, it is settled then." Bryce smirked. "And by the way, that was a poor recruiting tactic. Try to sound more persuasive next time."

"I'll keep that in mind next time." Ike said, grinning. "But anyway, I guess it would help if you knew all of us, wouldn't it? I'm Ike, commander of what used to be the Greil Mercenaries, a band of mercenaries created by my dad."

Ike continued. "Alright, this," Ike said, indicating the large, green haired man who wielded an axe. "is Boyd. He is married to my sister, who has been taken captive, and he is a long-time member of the Greil Mercenaries. Not much to say other than that, except that he is wicked strong. He is not the person that you would want to cross in a duel."

"This," Ike said pointing at the raven haired man. "is Soren, my tactician and a skilled mage as well." Ike continued to name the rest of the group, Tauroneo, Nasir, Ranulf and Lethe, and gave a short description of each.

"Hi." Bryce said sheepishly once Ike had finished, which was returned halfheartedly by everyone in the room.

"Well, I should probably leave. Gabe would get angry if I stayed up here for too long."

"We plan to leave here tomorrow. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Ike said, staring at Bryce long and hard.

"You'd better believe it." Bryce said grinning, before turning to leave with Caineghis a step behind.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The door shut behind Bryce with a sharp squeak, and when it had shut, the Greil Mercenaries were left alone in the room once more.

"Ike," Soren said in a harsh whisper, to make sure nobody outside the door could hear. "Are you crazy? He's a Zadonian! We can't trust him!"

"Caineghis does." Ike replied simply, remaining calm. "And that is good enough for me."

"He's this man's slave; of course he's supposed to say something like that!" Soren retorted. "Ike, you have got to be the most gullible man I know…"

"Soren, calm down. I am not leaving Caineghis here, no matter what. And if taking him away means taking Bryce too, then so be it."

"But-"

"He's right, Soren." Tauroneo said condescendingly. "By the looks of it, Caineghis and this Bryce are attached at the hip. I don't think you are going to be able to separate them." Tauroneo gave Ike a supportive smile before retreating to his bed to take a well-earned rest.

Ike smiled back and watched him go. Soren as well, with a grunt that Ike took to mean 'it's useless to argue with him', returned to his bed.

Ike looked around at who was still not in bed. Boyd was still to his immediate left, quiet and somber. To his right were three laguz who did not seem to be in the best of moods. Of them, Ranulf looked to be the worst. He sat in a slouch in his chair and his stare was unseeing.

"Are you alright, Ranulf?" Ike asked, laying a concerned and comforting on his friend's shoulder.

He did not respond immediately. He sat in an unmoving slump for a moment before saying quietly, "Look at we have become. Our king…a slave…"

Lethe, who was sitting next to Ranulf, let out a sob. And Nasir, on the other side of her, sat in a quiet, reflective position.

"We'll get him back." Ike said reassuringly, patting Ranulf on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I know." Ranulf sighed. "But what after that? This menace named Zadonia does not seem to be going away. What can we do?"

"Don't say that, Ranulf. You know that I will not rest until I have my Tellius back. I know that everyone here will not rest until we have our Tellius back."

"Yeah, Ranulf." Boyd added suddenly. "Don't forget who you are fighting for." And as he said that, Boyd got up and walked to his bed on the other side of the room. Ike knew who he was thinking about.

"Yeah, I guess…" Quietly, Ranulf too got up and walked to his bed. Nasir left not long after, leaving just Ike and Lethe.

She made no intention to move. She remained sitting, her eyes glossy and her face blank.

"How are you feeling?" Ike asked quietly.

"Fine." She replied. Ike knew it was a lie, but did not question. Instead, he got up out of his chair and sat in what used to be Ranulf's seat.

"We haven't talked in a while." Ike whispered. Being in a room, albeit to its credit it was a big room, that housed seven people, privacy was neglected.

"Yeah…" She whispered back, sighing.

"What's up?" Ike said, concerned.

"It's just…" she paused to rub her eyes. "Caineghis…"

"Don't worry, we'll get him back."

"No, no, it is not that…" She looked up into his eyes, and Ike could see the hurt in hers. "Did you see his back?"

"What are you talking about?" Ike said, very confused.

"He's hurt, Ike. He was walking very gingerly and slowly, his back was slumped. Did you not see any of this? And, at the nape of his neck, I saw gnarled skin."

"What does this mean?" Ike asked in fearful anticipation.

"I think he has been whipped." Lethe replied, looking back down at the ground. "And recently, too."

As much as he had been expecting it, this news still sent a pang of hurt through his heart. Of course, whipping slaves was very common, especially in Zadonia. But, for some reason, Ike just assumed that Caineghis wouldn't get the whip.

"He seems to be alright, though." Ike said sorrowfully.

"It just makes me think…" Lethe said quietly. "I guess even the greatest and most powerful can fall, right? I mean, if he can fall, who knows what else can as well…"

"Lethe, what are you talking about?"

"Ike," she paused. "We are never going to be together, are we?"

Ike stared at her thoughtfully for a moment. "If it can happen, I will make it happen."

"But can it?" She whispered.

"You said it yourself, Lethe. Even the greatest can fall. So, Zadonia can fall, right?"

"No, Ike, when I said that, I was more referring to…you."

"Me?" Ike said disbelievingly. "Lethe, if you think that I am going to give up, you are crazy! I am with you until the end."

"Not like, that, Ike, I completely trust you." She replied quickly. "But…they're after you."

"They do not even know I am still alive, let alone know where I am."

"No, Ike, they know you are still alive because they wanted you as a trophy. I can guarantee you that they searched the castle dry for you, dead or alive. They know you are still on the run for you were not in the castle with the rest of Tellius' forces."

Ike stared long and hard at her. She was right, he knew it. But he gave her a comforting smile and said, "I will not let them catch me. Never will I let them catch me."

Ike could see full well that she was torn. She wanted to, but she knew she couldn't. The same way he felt, too.

Ike stood up in front of her, grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Good night." He said. He let go of her hand, and she let it drop to her side.

"Good night." She said feebly in reply.

Lethe remained sitting there by candlelight even after Ike had gotten into bed and Boyd's low, grumbling snores filled the room.

* * *

Ike woke up the next morning bright and early. He, like the rest of the Greil Mercenaries had not slept much at all last night. The sense of anticipation and doom had plagued their minds, after seeing what had become of perhaps the most powerful man they had ever known.

Only Soren was awake before Ike. The young, disheveled mage sat where the group had sat last night, reflecting. He sat in such a deep and thoughtful state that he did not hear Ike sit down next to him.

"Something on your mind, Soren?" Ike said, quiet enough to not awake the others but loud enough to aware Soren of his presence.

"Huh?" Soren said, startled. "Oh, no, not really, just couldn't sleep."

"Come on, Soren." Ike said, yawning. "I know you better than that. What's up?"

Soren sighed heavily. "I was just thinking about…home."

"Yeah, I hear you there." Ike replied simply, not really knowing any words to comfort his friend.

"Morning Ike, Soren." It was Ranulf, who had just gotten up and sat down in one of the many vacant chairs. "You wouldn't have happened to have seen Lethe around, have you?"

Ike's eyes quickly darted to Lethe's bed, which housed no Lethe, something he had not taken account of before.

"No." Soren replied quietly.

"Boy, I hope she comes back soon, and the others wake up soon. This place gives me the creeps. The sooner that we get out of here, the better, I say."

One by one, the rest of the mercenaries got up out of bed, and yet, Lethe did not return from wherever she was. Everyone sat quietly and anxiously when a knock was heard at their door.

Cautiously, Soren answered it. He narrowed his eyes with suspicion at Bryce on the other side, but still stood back to allow him entry.

Bryce stepped into the room uneasily, with an equally uneasy Caineghis in tow.

"W-what's up?" Ike asked, almost fearfully.

Bryce gulped. "Something's, er…come up…"

"What's going on?" Soren asked sharply. "You ditching us?"

"No never!" Bryce said hastily. "It's just…well, let me show you. Follow me."

Bryce, after casting a fearful glance at Caineghis by his side, led the way out of the room. He walked down the hall and down the stairs to the first floor. It was then that Ike smelt an acrid stench from nearby. His first thought was that someone had died…

Bryce continued to lead the group down the first floor hallway, but stopped halfway through the foyer.

"Ugh!" Boyd exclaimed. "What is that smell?"

Bryce turned to face them with a pitying smile on his lips. "Prepare yourselves." He said lightly, then looked at the wall directly behind the group; above the foyer's entrance to the hallway.

Several gasps were emitted when everyone took Bryce's example and looked behind them, but none was louder than Ike's.

On the wall, written in a dark red, was a message which read:

_You take my Sub-Human--  
I'll take yours!_

The writing resonated brightly off the stone wall with an ominous and pallid hue. Its dark red seared through Ike's mind and realized his worst fear.

A pungent smell arose out of what Ike found out to be dried blood. It was not a lot; just enough to lightly get the message across on the wall with nothing extraneous. But, it did do enough to install a fury in Ike and the rest of the mercenaries. And at who, they were not yet sure, but they did have a hint.

"Alright, traitor!" Soren yelled, a light green light arising out of nothing in his hands. "What did you do with her?!"

"M-me?" Bryce stuttered. "I didn't do it!"

"Soren." Ike said calmly, trying to hide how hurt he really felt. "Bryce didn't do it."

"What are you talking about, Ike?!" Soren said, outraged. "Of course he did! Use some reason; he knew we were conspiring to take Caineghis back! Who else knew about that?!"

"No Soren," Ike replied. "Caineghis wasn't his slave; he was Gabe's slave. Bryce, I'm guessing you have already checked his room?"

"I have. He and his belongings are nowhere in sight."

"This is outrageous, Ike. You can't serious believe this, can you?" Soren said, mouth agape in disbelief.

"Soren!" Caineghis growled. "Bryce did not have anything to do with this because he was…" He lowered his head. "…tending to my whip wounds."

To all but Ike, this came as a knife to the throat. All noise stopped as everyone looked pityingly at the Laguz king, who turned around and pulled up the tail of his shirt to reveal the gnarled scars of just yesterday. Red pigmentation still littered his back and where there was no blood, there were bruises.

Soren had no violent retort to this and just looked remorseful as he said, "I…Caineghis, I had no idea…"

Caineghis turned to face them once more. "Yeah, well don't jump to conclusions next time. I am completely confident that Bryce had no part in the matter."

Out of everyone, Ranulf was by far the most affected. Open-mouthed, he said, "Wh-when?"

"Yesterday." Bryce replied when Caineghis could not.

"Don't not worry, Ranulf, I am fine now." Caineghis said, staring proudly at one of his favorite generals. "What is important now is that we focus on freeing Lethe and the rest of the slaves here in Zadonia."

"Remember what I said last night, Ranulf?" Boyd encouraged. "I guess now we have something more we are fighting for, right?"

"Alright, so we've lost a Laguz but we've gained a Zadonian and a beat up Laguz." Ike surmised. "Now what?"

"I will not be a burden, Commander Ike. I assure you that I can fight to best of my abilities." Caineghis replied.

"And a friend of Caineghis is a friend of mine." Bryce added. "I will fight as well."

"You ever fought in combat before?" Tauroneo asked.

"Not much. But I do know how to handle a sword." Bryce replied.

"Bryce, you have my sincerest gratitude." Ike replied nodding in Bryce direction. "But that does not answer my question. What next?" Ike, as did almost everyone else, looked at Soren for the answer.

Soren shrugged and said, "What we set off to do, I guess. Many slaves still need rescuing."

"Good plan." Ike smirked, having forgotten after all that had happened. "Alright, Bryce, do you have food and water we can stock up on here? We ran out."

Bryce nodded. "Can you and Caineghis go get some? Get enough for a four day trip for ten people with hearty appetites."

Nasir, who had been silently been reflecting off to the side, said suddenly, "Ike, if I may, we do not have enough beds on my ship to sustain two more people."

"Damn! I hadn't even thought of that!" Ike exclaimed. "Thanks, Nasir. Tauroneo, can you and Boyd go grab a bed from the room we slept in. Just the bed, not the frame. I'm sure Gabe won't mind."

Boyd and Tauroneo hurried back down the hallway to the staircase.

"Soren," Ike started. "When do you think that the slaves will arrive in Zadonia?"

"I don't know, Ike, it may be a day or two." Soren replied doubtfully. "We have spent too long here. They may be arriving now."

"Alright. Nasir, we make no stops at all. Set course for the Zadonian slave exchange with no distractions. Soren, what city was that again?"

"It is not a city, all it is the slave exchange, nothing more." Soren replied.

"Well, whatever it is, set course for it." Ike said to Nasir.

"Shall I begin marking our course for it?"

"Yes, please."

Nasir hurried out the front door, on his way back on deck. Soren, as well, went back to the boat, his job accomplished.

Ike and Ranulf held back and waited for the others to return back to the foyer so that they could board and get out of there.

"Everything alright, Ranulf?" Ike asked curiously at his friend, who was looking at his own feet thoughtfully.

"Yeah, uh…I'm fine." Ranulf said shakily.

"Don't get too down on yourself, Ranulf, it wasn't your fault-"

"No, no, it isn't that." Ranulf interrupted.

"Oh? What is it then?" Ike looked impatiently down the hallway, seeing no sign of anybody returning.

Ranulf paused, then asked quietly, "You, err…she meant something to you, didn't she?"

Ike watched Ranulf carefully, but did not reply.

Ranulf continued. "I mean, I always knew that you meant a lot to her, but…"

"How did you know that?" Ike interrupted.

Ranulf was about to answer, but the sound rapidly approaching footsteps caused him to cease. "Got the mattress." Boyd grunted as he and Tauroneo emerged from the hallway, carrying a single mattress over their heads.

"Alright, Ranulf, could you help them carry the mattress to the ship." Ike instructed. "Just put it in the first room below decks for now, we'll sort out where to put it later. I'll stay here and wait for Caineghis and Bryce." Ike listened as the front door opened and closed, then silence.

It took all of his strength of mind not to glance at the wall where he knew the message was written. Its dreadful aftermath had done enough already, he didn't want to have to read it again and once again experience an overwhelming sense of dismay and sorrow. And regret.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bryce and Caineghis came into the room carrying sacks full of food and jugs of water, along with some of the belongings they were going to bring with them.

"Where is everyone?" Bryce asked cautiously.

"They boarded already." Ike answered impatiently. "Come on, we need to leave as soon as possible." Ike silently urged them out the door and then stepped out himself. As nice as the house was, what Ike saw last as he shut the door was the line which would plague his dreams until he got her back.

Ike found everyone waiting for him below the decks in the entry room.

"Alright, Nasir, get her going. We need to leave now."

Soon thereafter, Ike felt a gentle sway as the boat began to take course. "Alright," Ike continued. "As for the rooms, Caineghis, you stay with Ranulf. He has a free bed. And Bryce, you have a choice. You can stay with me and Boyd, Soren and Tauroneo, or Ranulf and Caineghis. Take your pick."

"Oh, er…Why couldn't you have just picked for me?" Bryce asked sheepishly to himself. "Well, can I stay with you? Out of everyone here, other than Caineghis, I think I know you the most."

"Alright, sure." Ike bend down to picked up the mattress. "Boyd, can you get the door?"

Bryce was about to help, but stopped short when Ike picked up the mattress with strength he had not been expecting. Ike quickly carried it into the room and placed in on the floor. Bryce followed him and Boyd shut the door after Bryce.

"Sorry about the bed situation." Ike smiled awkwardly. "We can switch each night, if you'd like?"

"No, don't worry about it. I've slept under much worse circumstances. I'll be fine." Bryce replied.

"Well, whatever. The offer is still on the table if you want to change your mind." The Ike grinned. "Just don't ask Boyd to sleep on that mattress. He can get grumpy if he doesn't get his sleep."

"No," Boyd said shortly. "I get grumpy when you mess with me in my sleep."

"Same thing." Ike said smiling. "Oh, and another thing. Things can get quite boring around here. About all we do all day is sleep and sometimes talk. That's about it."

"Sounds like fun." Bryce responded groggily.

* * *

A storm emerged that night. It was nothing much, just a series of rain, wind, and waves, all of which were inconsequential to the mighty hull of the ship. Physically, it did not affect anything. But on an emotional level, it added to the gloomy tone the ship's residents.

Dinner was over, yet no one had eaten. Bedtime was approaching, yet no one was tired. The war was over, and yet they were still fighting. The fighting, the anxiety…would it ever end?

"Ike?"

Ike looked up. It was Boyd who had interrupted the conversation he was having with his mind. Boyd held an expression of doubt, as if he feared something.

"What?"

Boyd paused. "You don't think they'll do that to her, do you?"

"Boyd," Ike replied impatiently. "Could you be more vague? What are you talking about?"

"M-Mist." Boyd replied uncertainly. "You don't think that they'll wh...Do you think that they'll do to her what they did to Caineghis?"

Ike caught Boyd's eyes for a moment. Slowly, a tear began to fall down his friend's cheek. A tear of passion and hurt, of pain and love.

Just seeing his friend reduced like this almost made Ike start crying. "I wish I could tell you that she won't be Boyd." Ike said honestly and as sympathetically as he could. "I really wish I could."

Just by his gestures, Ike could tell that this was not what he wanted to hear, but what he expected to.

"Why don't you take a rest, Boyd." Ike suggested. "I know it must be hard to sleep, but it will be good for you. Trust me."

"Alright." Boyd muttered, yawning. Soon, Boyd's light snores filled the room.

"Who's Mist?" Came a voice once Boyd had fallen asleep.

Bryce had been so quiet that he had almost forgotten about him. "My sister, and Boyd's wife."

"Ah." Bryce said sorrowfully. "War takes no prisoners, does it? It gives no mercy, only total destruction. It's unbelievable how much a war can peel away at everything you love. Everyone has nothing to gain, and everything to lose."

Ike paused to absorb the truth in what Bryce had said. "What do you have to lose, Bryce?"

"Me? I've already lost everything. I left it all back in the house." Bryce paused. "A house I will probably not welcome in anymore."

"But then why are you fighting? There has to be something you are fighting for, something you can lose, for you to even get into this war."

"Caineghis taught me a lot." Bryce reflected. "He told me much of his throne at Gallia, their struggles for a better life. He told me a lot about this man named Ashnard. Maybe you know what he looks like, but I picture him as I picture Amaros; chaotic and barbaric. I guess I'm just fighting for a world without those kind of people."

"Yes, I knew Ashnard." Ike responded thoughtfully. "I was the one who killed him. He and Amaros are very comparable. The only difference that I see is that Amaros has more resources at his disposal."

"Caineghis also told me much about this 'Hero of Tellius'. Bringer of peace and unity…Wait, I did not realize this until now: you are the Hero of Tellius, right?"

Watching Bryce closely, Ike slowly nodded.

"He wouldn't stop talking about you, Ike." Bryce smiled. "About how inspiring you were. How skillful you were. He said that you are the only reason that Gallia is at where it is at today."

"He said that?" Ike asked in disbelief. "I wouldn't say that I did as much for Gallia as Elincia did…"

"Who's Elincia?"

"Wait, hold on, Caineghis did not mention anything about Elincia?"

Bryce shook his head.

"You've got to be kidding me! Elincia should be given credit for Gallia's integration, not me. Elincia is the Princess of Crimea, the place I call home."

"You have many kingdoms in Tellius, don't you?"

"Depends how many you think is 'many.' We have seven separate nations, three of man and four of Laguz."

"Could you tell me about them?" Bryce asked interestedly.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Well, the Laguz have caught my interest. Tell me a little about them."

"There are four Laguz nations, each housing its own race. Gallia, as you have figured, is home to the beast tribe. Phoenicis houses the hawk tribe. Kilvas has the raven tribe. And Goldoa has the Dragon tribe."

"Wow, I never realized there were so many types of Laguz…"

"There is one more tribe, the heron tribe, whom do not have a kingdom as of now. They used to live in a big forest in Begnion, a kingdom of man, which has since been razed to the ground. The forest has been restored, but I know of only two Herons still in existence."

"What?!" Bryce asked, outraged. "On purpose? Who would have the heart to do that?"

"I don't know." Ike sighed heavily. "The leaders of Begnion are…easily corrupted. And the worst part is that the only two herons left are siblings. Within a generation, the herons will be extinct."

"That's a shame…" Bryce said sorrowfully.

"Yeah, well, you really surprised me today, you know that. I thought for sure you would room with Caineghis."

"Yeah…" Bryce said apprehensively.

"Why didn't you?"

Bryce didn't answer.

"You're afraid of Ranulf, aren't you?" Ike smirked and Bryce gasped. "Why are you afraid of him? I was the one who stuck a sword up your throat."

Bryce blushed. "I don't know…"

"Don't worry about Ranulf. You've seen nothing until you've seen him transform. Then things can get ugly." Ike laughed while Bryce cringed at the thought. "No, seriously, Ranulf is not at all brutal. He is immensely loyal, though, so that is why you two got off to a rough start."

Bryce looked up. "What was her name again? The one that Gabe took from you, what was her name?"

"Lethe. Why?"

"Oh, so I was right…"

Ike looked at him, perplexed.

"You like her don't you? I could tell by the way your eyes lit up when you said her name."

Ike sighed, defeated. "Yeah, you're right…"

"Look, Ike, I don't know how serious things are between you two, but I can tell you this: I will help you rescue her, if it is the last thing I do. Her, and your sister, too."

Ike smiled. "Thanks, Bryce."

"And I think I may have a start, but I don't think you'll like it…"

Ike looked at him fearfully. "What are you talking about?"

"Gabe's got connections. I don't think he'll concern himself with the money that he could fetch at the slave exchange. My guess is that he'll take her to Amaros himself."

"Shit!" Ike exclaimed. "And he'll recognize her too!"

"Oi! Could you keep it down!" Came a different voice. Ike had waken Boyd up.

Ike whispered to Bryce so that Boyd could hear; "Now you get to see how grumpy Boyd can get…"

Slowly, Boyd got up and sat at the foot of his bed. "You think I couldn't hear that?" Boyd snapped. "Great, now I'm not going to be able to fall asleep again."

"And that is not the worst of your troubles." Ike said dismally.

"What? Why?" Boyd asked, evidence of his bad mood gone. "What happened?"

"Amaros has got Lethe now."

"What? How?"

"Apparently, Gabe is on good terms with Amaros." Ike replied.

"Yeah, I bet you anything Gabe will go to Amaros first." Bryce added hesitantly.

"Amaros has got bait now." Ike said, smiling pityingly.

"But, then, Mist…" Boyd stuttered, glancing at Ike fearfully.

"No, Amaros has never seen Mist yet. He will recognize Lethe, though, from when we fought back at Melior."

Boyd gave a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm going to try to go back to sleep before you try to give me more bad news." Pretty soon, Boyd's snores once again filled the room.

Ike watching his slumbering friend carefully. "In times of depression and fear," Bryce whispered. "one's love in another really blossoms."

Ike glanced at Bryce. He too was looking at Boyd, but Ike wasn't sure if he was talking about Boyd, or Ike himself.

Out loud, but more to himself, Ike whispered, "I hope that Amaros doesn't know how reckless I am."

For the first time all day, Ike began to weep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

The seasons are always changing. Eventually, no matter how great the storm, the sun always comes back. The world keeps on moving.

Love does not. Once written down upon one's heart, it cannot change. There is no reversing love, it will stay forever. Through good times and bad, love will still be there.

And on this ship, off the Zadonian coast, love remained in Ike, but the one he loved was a far ways away.

"You alright, Ike? You look a little pale."

Ike shook his head out of his thoughts and looked at Boyd, not five feet from the foot of his bed. It had been a long couple of days, and Ike had taken to thinking all day in his bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ike replied shortly.

"Quit thinking about her, Ike. It'll only make it feel worse."

"But, I can't…"

"Ike! Trust me," Boyd smirked. "I would know."

Ike watched his friend lay back down on his bed next to Ike's. It was true, Ike knew it. Boyd did all he could do to stop thinking about Mist, and here he stood as a confident man. No longer the mess he once was.

They were probably only a day away now from the Slave Exchange, but time was ticking. Soren had said that they may have already been up for the market. If they were sold, it would be almost impossible to round up all the slaves without destroying the Zadonian Empire first.

"Hey, Bryce, you awake?" Ike called out.

"What's up, Ike?" Bryce responded groggily.

"How many people in Zadonia own slaves?"

"Hmm," Bryce said thoughtfully. "Depends where you are. Most of the rich, powerful men live in the northern parts of Zadonia. You're likely to find more than one slave in those men's houses. Down south, though, many people are poor and can't afford slaves."

"Is that why the Slave Exchange is so far up north?"

"Well, that… And the fact that it is shared with Dynastia on the northern border."

"Wait," Ike said in disbelief. "My friends might not even be slaves to this nation?"

Bryce replied hesitantly. "Yes, they can…"

"How is that possible? I thought Zadonians hated Dynastia?"

"Well, Amaros does." Bryce corrected. "But he has since brought peace between our two nations because he failed too many times at trying to take them over."

"Shit! Are you saying that I might have to invade a powerful, neutral nation to get my friends back?"

Bryce smiled grimly. "Get there before they are sold and you won't have to."

"Yeah," Ike sighed. "I guess that is all we can hope for."

* * *

"Ike, get up!"

In the dead of the night, he heard his voice. Sitting up in his bed, Ike groggily waited to hear the tale Soren had to bring.

"Ike, I think we have arrived." Soren said uncertainly.

Ike drowsily rubbed his eyes. "Are you sure? I thought we weren't going to arrive until tomorrow."

"Fairly sure." Soren replied. "Perhaps you want to come take a look?"

Now fully awake, Ike got up from the comfort of his bed and walked to the door of his room, where Soren had just disappeared from. Barely audible footsteps followed him, as Bryce and Boyd followed Ike back to the deck of the ship.

The night was pitch, the air silent. The waves were gentle and all was quiet. The only light, apart from the myriad sea of stars, came from multiple spots out in the near horizon, due ahead. Human-made lights.

Bryce crept up behind Ike and whispered to him, "This is the place. I've heard numerous rumors about this place, and the most popular of which includes those lights. It is said that the most powerful mages in all of Zadonia devised a powerful light spell. It does no harm, but it aids security. Once they go on, there is not going in, and there is no going out."

"Then how do you suppose we break in, and after that, break out?" Ike asked.

"Who told you that this would be easy?" Bryce replied grimly. "But, it is my guess that we would have a better chance at night. We can't barge right in now, though, I suggest we scope the area first. Find the weak points."

"It's brighter than anything I've ever seen…" Boyd muttered in awe. "How are we supposed to smuggle prisoner out of _that_?"

"They say that the darkest shadows are created by the brightest lights." Ike murmured. Even at such a far-away distance, the glowing orbs were hard to look at. "Soren, where do we go?"

"I think that we cannot and should not do anything now." Soren replied. "We need to wait till daylight."

"Nasir!" Ike called. "Halt the ship. Find a good place to stop, but not too close to those lights."

All of a sudden, the glowing orbs went out.

"What's going on?" Ike heard Ranulf call out.

"Ike!" Bryce hissed. "It is also said that the only times that the lights go out is when they are admitting new slaves. Do you know what this means?"

"You don't think…"

"Ike, I'll bet you anything that these are your friends being admitted as we speak."

"You mean, we're not too late?" Soren asked, astonished.

"Well, I'm not sure, but it is not common that they shut down the lights, that is for sure."

Ike continued to watch the spot where the lights had gone off curiously even when silence dropped upon the ship. The lights did not come back, but soon, a different light began to reveal itself.

Iluminated by that light, Ike saw for the first time one of the most abysmal sights he had ever seen. The place was not a city, as Soren had predicted. It was just a building-a single building surrounded by many guards. It was huge, probably the size of Melior castle, except only one floor throughout. It was plain beige in color, and not a window in sight.

"There?" Ranulf exclaimed in disbelief. "This is the place we need to save all our slaves from? There's no way!"

"How many guards do they have?" Boyd asked rhetorically, staring in awe at the endless wave of guards.

"What do we do now, Soren?" Ike asked his tactician. "Any ideas?"

Soren bit his lip. "Ike, I think we may need to, err…lower our expectations a bit."

"What do you mean, 'lower our expectations'?"

"Ike, if you think that we are going to come out of here with every single one of our soldiers, then you're crazy. I think we can set up a simple diversion, come out with some of our slaves, and get out." Soren replied.

"What, and leave the rest of them behind? Are you serious? I can't do that!"

"It is going to take much more than a simple diversion to even get twenty people out of here, Soren." Bryce added quietly.

"All the same," Soren continued. "Not everyone is going to come out of this."

"I'm not leaving here without everyone that we lost, Soren." Ike said firmly.

"Alright, Ike, perhaps you can explain to us how we are going to do that?"

Ike looked furiously at Soren. He had expected that his tactician would figure that part out.

"Ike we cannot possibly get everyone out. We need to take what we can get, then get out."

Ike sighed. "Alright. What do we do?"

Soren turned to face the looming prison in the distance. "We observe."

"Bryce," Ike said concedingly. "What more do you know about this place?"

"Well, not much more. The support structures are unique, weighted such that if one support beam were to collapse, they all would. So if you were considering making your own entrance in the side of the wall, I would suggest against it. You must have proof of citizenship to Zadonia or Dynastia to buy a slave. Um…and the slaves never leave the building."

"What do you make of that, Soren?" Ike asked.

Soren sighed. "More obstacles."

Ike glanced at Boyd for a second before asking, "Soren, are we going to be able to pick who we save? Or is it going to be a spur of the moment type thing?"

"No, I think we can choose who we save, once we figure out where they are being kept at."

Out of the corner of his eye, Ike saw Boyd breathe a sigh of relief. "Hey, Soren, how many of our men got captured?"

"I don't know, close to one hundred thousand, I think. Why?"

"How do they fit that many people in there?"

"This place is not known for its sanitary conditions." Bryce answered gloomily.

* * *

In the end, the ship ended up at the dock of a town to the south of the slave exchange; a town by the name of Hathorn. Small in size but not in pride, this is one town that took no insult of its nation lightly. And, as Bryce had mentioned, it was only around this area that you could find men that were supportive of Amaros regime.

Dressed in hooded cloaks, Ike and his mercenaries got off their ship. At the end of the dock on which they just stepped were two bearded men. Tattered and burly, these men eyed their new visitors suspiciously.

"Watch yourself." Bryce said under his breath. "The people who live here neither trust nor should be trusted by foreigners. Act calm, they are all talk and will not act unless they feel they are provoked, which, I am sad to say, is quite often."

Eying these men with much the same suspicion, Ike started his walk to the end of the dock.

"Hey Jeff," The gray-bearded man on the left said when Ike had gotten close enough. "Looks like we got a bunch of foreigners."

The red-bearded man on the right smirked. "We sure do, Rick."

Not until Ike was within five feet of these men did he come to a halt. Not long after, Ike heard everyone else catch up.

"Listen here, foreigners, I suggest you get right back on that pretty little ship you have there and get out of here. I would appreciate it if my knife wasn't stained with foreigner blood." The gray-bearded "Rick" said, making no effort to hide the knife at his waist.

"Your knife can't cut me." Ike retorted coldly.

"Oh, I assure you that it is of the finest quality. Perfectly sharpened as well." Rick replied.

"No, what I mean is, you turn that pathetic knife on me, and I can assure you that getting blood on your knife with be of your least concern."

"Fair enough. How about you pull back that hood of yours and show us the disgrace you hide beneath it?"

"Yeah, how about you quit asking questions and step aside for me."

"You're awful demanding for a foreigner." Jeff said. "Hey, Rick, maybe we should bring him down a bit, huh?"

"I like the way you think, Jeff." Rick smirked, as he and Jeff flashed twin daggers. "Foreigner, I don't know where you come from, but round here, we ask the questions. And you'd best start answering."

Ike glanced at Bryce. Didn't he say they were all talk? "Depends. What do you want to have answered?"

Ike's hesitation did not get past them. "Scared, there, foreigner?" Jeff smirked. "Don't be, we just want to know why the hell you are intruding our town. Your kind isn't well liked around here, I am sad to say."

This was not going so well, Ike concluded. The two were beginning to advance. Slowly, he reached into his robes and began to unsheathe his sword.

"Uh-oh, Jeff. We got a fighter." Rick said sarcastically over the metallic clang of Ike's sword.

Before Ike had even gotten his sword out, Rick lunged. His expression of ferocity was nothing compared to the expression of shock he held when his knife was blown right out of his hand. Somewhere behind him, Ike could here Soren muttering his catenations.

"What the hell?" Rick exclaimed while he watched his dagger fly through the air and plunge into the water off the dock.

"I suggest that, if you want to live," Soren stated in a cold, heartless voice. "that you step aside and let us through."

"Wha-what?" Jeff said fearfully, taking a step backward. "That was you?"

"Yes it was me, you twit!" Soren retorted. "Want to see me do it again? 'Cause I can just as easily launch you into that water, too."

"Oh, no, that's alright. Y-you can go right on ahead."

Ike watched as the two heavy-set, bearded men stepped away from the dock to let the group pass. Ike walked on past, as did everyone else. Once out of earshot of them, Ike whispered, "Are you sure that it will be alright to leave the ship here, Soren? I do not trust these guys."

"I was thinking the same thing." Soren whispered. "Maybe once we are settled we could try to find a better place for it."

"Those guys are jerks." Ranulf said aloud. "Bryce, so far, I have not got a good impression of your people."

"They are all like that, I'm afraid." Bryce sighed.

"All the more reason to do this quick and get out." Ike said confidently. "Let's find somewhere private we can stay so we can begin to map out our strategy."

* * *

It was a lonely life for the slave clerk. His job was to account for all the slaves and to sell as many as possible, but in reality, he too was a slave. A slave who got no more freedoms than the men locked away in the cells.

His small, cramped room was almost always vacant, but every once in a while, there was a buyer.

"Welcome!" The clerk announced, mock-cheerfully, when he heard the hinged of his door rattle open. "Can I help you?"

The man, with blonde hair tied in a ponytail, walked two steps and stopped in front of the desk. "Can I have a look at your slaves?"

"Are you Zadonian or Dynastian?"

"Zadonian."

"Name, please?"

"Bryce Fendrel."

"Hold on, let me just check the files." The short, balding man scurried off to a tangent room, presumably where they kept the records for all the thousands of names who could buy slaves. Even with the names being separated between the two countries, and alphabetized after that, it took the man quite a long time to verify.

"Bryce Fendrel!" The man said enthusiastically. "I was wondering where I recognized the name. How's pop? Like the slave?"

"Yes, but there is only so much one slave can do." Bryce replied. "Father would like to buy another one. "He tells me you recently got a new shipment?"

"Recently?" The clerk exclaimed. "Why, we just got one last night! Your father sure does keep current."

"He told me to check in on those. What can you tell me of them?"

"Well, I can tell you that they more than quadrupled our residence here." The clerk replied. "Most of them are human, but there are even some sub-human in the catch."

"Hmm, mind if I step outside for a moment?" The clerk nodded and watched as Bryce stepped outside.

A moment later Bryce stepped back in. "Is your father out there?" The clerk asked, his hopes starting to rise when he had heard voices coming from outside.

"No, sorry, that is father's head butler. He ordered me to tag him along with me, but he is not to enter this building. I hope you understand."

"Oh, yeah, it's alright…" The clerk replied slowly. "So, you going back?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, here, take this." The clerk reached into one of his cabinets and pulled out a string with a card attached to it. The card simply read, 'buyer'.

"Wear that." The clerk explained. "It will tell the guards not to attack you."

"Alright, thanks." Bryce said, and he walked toward the door behind the desk, the door that led to the slaves.

* * *

The first full day in a cell was drag, but definitely better than Mist could have expected it to be. The cells were room-sized. A small room, but a room nevertheless. No beds, but hay littered the ground, and that served as a mediocre pillow. The real glee lay in her cellmates.

The keepers of this prison seemed to organize it such that people from the same nation stayed together. And by some freak accident, she was roomed with Oscar, Titania, Rhys, Mia, little Carolyn, and two other men she did not recognize but who bore the emblem of Crimea.

Mist was stumped when it came to Carolyn. She was Begnion, she had lived in Sienne her entire life; how did she get to stay with the Crimeans? Mist guessed that the prison keepers thought that Carolyn was her daughter, for they made no effort to detach her from Mist as they walked past, hand in hand.

Nevertheless, Mist was grateful. Carolyn was pure and innocent, and a better friendship may have blossomed had the circumstances been different. But with the prospect of any day being a potential day to be sold, they would have to make the most of what they had now.

It was that afternoon that things began to get scary. About noon, a blonde-haired man made an appearance in front of their cell.

Mist stared at the man, as the man stared back at her.

Quickly, the man turned away and asked the guard in front of her cell door, "What can you tell me about that brunette there?" He was pointing at Mist.

The guard spun to take a look at her, and then looked at the piece of paper which all guards where to hold for their respective cells. This piece of paper contained information on the slaves in the cell the guard stood in front of.

"Ah, that is Mist." The guard replied. "We believe she is the sister of the "hero". She will fetch you a fair pocket of change; that is for sure."

The blonde haired man looked back at Mist for a moment. "Can I see that?" He asked the guard, pointing at the paper.

"Sure."

The man read the paper for a moment before handing it back to the guard. "Seems to me that she is well worth the price."

"So, would you like to buy her?"

"Not yet." He answered. "I need to talk with my father first. I'll be back."

Mist fearfully watched the man go. On the verge of crying, she felt a hand at her shoulder. Blurry-eyed, Mist met the gaze of Titania.

"We won't let anyone take you away, Mist."

* * *

"So?" Soren asked quietly. "What did you figure out?"

A day and a half since arriving in this tiny town found Ike and his friends in a tiny Hathorn inn. One on the edge of town where there was not as many men like the two they had encountered on the dock. The innkeeper took them in without question, and the only other man who was staying there did not seem to mind their presence.

It was nighttime now, but Ike had no intention of going to sleep just yet. Bryce and Boyd had just returned, and Ike was anxious as everyone else to hear his story.

They had got three separate rooms in the inn, but everyone huddled into Soren's room to hear the story which Bryce was about to tell.

"Well," Bryce began. "We arrived about noon. We weren't pursued upon sight, so I guess that is a good thing. They did not suspect a thing."

"Yes," Ike said impatiently. "I had confidence that you would get that far, but what of Mist? Did you find her?"

"Found a girl named Mist." Bryce replied. "Guard told me that he thought that she was the sister of the hero. Matched your description. Boyd said that it was her. Almost completely sure it was her."

"Alright, good." Ike sighed. "Do you remember what number her cell is or something?"

"No, but I remember how to get there."

"Alright, good." Ike repeated, creating a long silence.

"So…what now?" Ranulf asked indifferently.

"Well, obviously we need to rescue her, and probably everyone in her cell. We just need a plan." Ike replied.

"Ike, I've got more." Bryce said.

"Alright, what is it?"

"I've got the names of everyone in her cell."

"You did? Alright, who are they? Maybe I'll know a couple of them."

"Mist, Titania, Gregory, Mia, Rhys, Carolyn, Harold and Oscar." Bryce recited off the top of his head.

"Wait, hold up! Soren, did you hear that? That's half of the mercenaries! Bryce, how did you figure that out?"

"The guard in front of each cell has a list and short description of his inmates of that cell. I managed to get a quick look at that paper and I remembered the names."

"Wow…this is great!" Ike exclaimed. "But, we still have no idea how we are going to get them out."

"I'm still not done, Ike. I have a couple more things that may help make things easier on us."

Bryce continued. "Once they had checked my name and everything, they made me wear this tag around my neck. Just a normal tag, but apparently this tag keeps the guards from attacking those who prospecting potential slaves. Buyers are safe if they wear these tags."

Soren looked skeptical. "Yeah, but they still check our names before they let us in, right? So how is that going to help get us in?"

"Think about it. It won't help you get in. But…don't you think that it may help someone else get out?"

"Genius!" Ranulf muttered as he realized what Bryce was alluding to.

"Brilliant!" Ike exclaimed. "But, how are we supposed to give the slaves these tags and get them out of the cages, all without the guards knowing?"

"Wait, Ike, I'm not done. With a few well-asked questions, I found out a couple of very helpful things from the clerk. He told me that, during the day, a guard is present in front of every cell door, vacant or occupied. But, at night, most of these guards move out to the perimeter of the prison. Only _five _stay to patrol the corridors within the prison."

"Wait, why would they do that?" Ike asked doubtfully.

"I don't know, they must be very confident that no one will try to break free."

"Yes, but, surely they must know not to leave themselves so prone to a breakout, right?" Soren question skeptically.

"They have never had a breakout before, internally or externally. They don't know what it is like, nor do they know how to protect themselves from it. We can take advantage of that inexperience."

"They have never had a breakout before!" Boyd exclaimed.

"They must have, seeing as they are a prison of such enormous size." Soren stated.

"Nope, they never have, due mainly in part of the fact that anybody who ever tried to break out would get severely punished. Anyone who got caught breaking out or trying to break someone else out will not get any mercy. They will search for you, and they will try to kill you."

Not so much what Bryce said as the firm, confident manner in which he said it sent shivers down Ike's spine. "Luckily we're heading back to Tellius after this."

"Alright." Soren said after a short pause. "This is what we're going to do…"


	17. Chapter 17

**Wow, sorry everyone. I've had finals the past two weeks, and I had hoped to update before, but alas, I did not finished in time. Well, I hope that you like it anyway. And sorry again, I will update quicker next chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

"Alright, Tauroneo, this is where we leave you. Remember the plan, and if you see anything out of the ordinary, get the hell out of here, alright?" Ike said in a hushed whisper.

The sky was of the darkest black as Ike and the other emerged from their hiding places. All was going great so far; they were able to get to the slave exchange that day, and they found nice hiding spots not too far from the main entrance.

The guards had passed not too long ago, right when the last light of the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. Thousands of them now patrolled the perimeter, but little did they know that their perimeter had already been breached.

From out of small crevices they emerged into the night, just as planned. This was a dangerous mission, and best with only few people. So, only Ike, Ranulf, Tauroneo, Bryce and Boyd were going. Ranulf because he was sneaky, and could do almost anything soundlessly. He would be of vital importance when the slightest sound could prove to be deadly. Tauroneo, for he had been a guard for much of his life; he would have no problem being a guard now. Bryce because he was the one that would lead them to the correct cell.

And Ike and Boyd simply because they wanted to see Mist again.

The air was still, but numerous torches could be seen in the distance; the guards were on the prowl.

All five of them were dressed in pure black robes. Virtually undetectable, they would only get caught if they gave any profound inkling of their presence. At least, that was what Soren had said, but here it seemed much different. As if the slightest motion would alert the guards. Alas, things are much easier said than done, as is often said.

At the door to the slave exchange, Tauroneo halted. "Yes, Commander Ike."

"I mean it, Tauroneo, if you see danger, don't try to be the hero. I don't want to lose you."

"I give you my word, Ike."

"Good." Ike said. "Remember, any sign of a guard, give the signal. I'm sure you can find a suitable rock around here somewhere." Ike turned to Bryce. "The cell is near here, right, Bryce?"

"Yes." Bryce replied.

" Alright everyone, let's go."

Ike, Ranulf, Bryce and Boyd entered the building. Having been the only one who had been there before, Bryce led the way.

"Where are these tags, Bryce?" Ike asked.

Once inside, everyone stood and watched Bryce. Bryce went straight for the cabinet and opened the drawers. "Right here." He replied and grabbed eight tags.

"Boyd, where are you going?" Ike whispered.

Boyd didn't reply. He walked into the room that held all of the exchange's records. Ike and everyone watched him in confused disbelief. "Boyd, stick to the plan! What are you doing?" Ike whispered, irritated, and followed Boyd into the room.

"What about their records, Ike? We need to get those so they don't know who escaped." Boyd whispered impatiently and looked around in the dim moonlight for the right set of records.

Ike gasped. "Good idea, Boyd. I didn't even think of that. Let me help."

"What's going on in there?" Ike heard from outside the small records closet that he now found himself in.

"We'll be out in a second!" Ike answered impatiently. Whoever had asked the question must have been able to tell by the tone of Ike's voice that the decision was already made.

"See anything?" Boyd asked under his breath.

The pitch-black dark was extremely annoying when trying to look through records, Ike soon found. "I can't see a damn thing!" Ike replied angrily as he strained to look around the closet.

"Wait, Ike, I think I found something." Boyd said quietly.

Ike leaped up immediately and almost knocked over a nearby drawer in the process. He quickly went over to where he heard Boyd's voice and squinted about trying to find what Boyd was talking about.

"Right here." Boyd repeated and handed Ike a folder.

Under the dim moonlight of the only window in the closet, Ike opened up the folder. "NE Section 2" the first page on the inside of it read. "Inmates 650-700"

Ike flipped through a couple of pages, taking a few moments to try to read what was on each of them. However, he recognized immediately the page he was looking for. "Inmate 672." The page read. It held a drawn picture in the upper left corner of the page, a picture Ike recognized as his sister's face.

Everyone else was right after. The next seven pages were of the same cell and of names that Ike recognized, even though he did not recognize the face of two of them.

"Alright." Ike said, taking the eight pages out and tucking them away beneath his outer clothes. "I hope they will not realize soon. Let's go."

"What was that about?" Bryce asked as Ike and Boyd emerged from the record's closet.

"Hopefully, if they have no records of their slaves, they won't know who it was that escaped." Ike replied.

"Ah, good plan." Bryce said.

"How are we getting into the cell? Do they have cell keys around here somewhere, something?"

"Oh, almost forgot…" Bryce said, and he hurried back into the drawers of the clerk's office.

"Alright, hurry up."

Bryce did a moment's worth of searching, and then looked up. "Okay," He said as he jingled a key ring full of maybe fifty keys in front of him. "Got 'em."

"Shhh!" Ike exasperated, ceasing Bryce's jingling immediately. "Don't make too much noise. Do you know which of those if for the cell we are looking for?"

"No," Bryce said tentatively. "But they number the cells, and I know how to get to the cell."

"Alright, everyone ready? Let's go; Bryce, lead the way." Ike said, as he and everyone else walked through the door into the prison itself.

Three different corridors split off at that door, and rows upon rows of cells extended upon these corridors. The ground, ceiling, and walls were all an eerie light brown in color, but that was barely detectable in the dark. Each cell was a square surrounded by these brown walls, and the only way to look at the persons within was the cell door, about the size of a normal door.

"Be real quiet everyone," Ike cautioned as he followed Bryce down the central corridor. "We don't want jealousy among the slaves…"

The talking came to an abrupt end and they silently followed Bryce. At a four-way intersection, they turned right, and passed straight through the next intersection. All was going good, until…

"Wait, stop!" Ranulf urged quietly.

Everyone stopped. "What's up, Ranulf?" Ike asked.

"I hear something!" Ranulf whispered. "Someone is near!"

"That could just be one of the slaves…" Boyd suggested hopefully.

"No." Ranulf replied assuredly. "There is guard dead ahead, and he is walking this way!"

Ike glanced down the hall fearfully. Sure enough, with a bit of effort, Ike saw the faint outline of a man standing dead ahead, not too far away.

Without talking at all, Ike pulled at the robes of everyone else as he began to back track, urging them to be as quiet as possible. All the way back to the last intersection they backed up. There, they ducked into the left path and waited.

"Where is it, Bryce? Can we go around?" Ike asked fervently.

"No, it was right where he was standing…"

That was what he wasn't hoping for, but it was what he had been expecting. "What do we do, then?"

"We wait."

"Ike, we can't wait." Boyd argued. "We need to get out of here!"

"Shh, Boyd, we don't want to alert the guard. Has he moved, Ranulf?"

"Not an inch." Ranulf answered.

"Hmm, thought so. Guess that means we are left with only one choice. We need a diversion."

For a moment, Ike could hear his own heartbeat as he felt the unseen glare of his friends' pierce his skin. They were shocked, he could tell, but they had to get this done quickly, even if that meant risking a lot more.

Failure was something he could deal with. Regret, Ike could not.

"What do you mean…diversion?" Boyd muttered slowly.

"It's obvious, isn't it? We need to get into that cell. That guard is in front of that cell. Therefore, we need to move that guard to get into that cell." Ike replied impatiently. They were wasting so much time. "Simple logic, Boyd, but we need to get moving."

"But…wouldn't that be dangerous?" Ranulf asked hesitantly. "I mean, what if, while you are leading that guard away, you run into another?"

"Not me, Ranulf," Ike replied confidently. "You."

"Me?!" Ranulf exclaimed under his breath.

"Yes, you, Ranulf. This is what I need you to do. Grab his attention somehow, make leave his area. Keep his attention for a while, then, when you feel you have led him far enough away, stop all noise. Hopefully he won't remember which cell he was at before. After that, find the exit. You and Tauroneo hide in the spot where we hid this evening. Wait til dawn."

"What? You mean you aren't coming out?" Ranulf asked.

"We can't Ranulf, we've got eight prisoners; we can't hide out there, we don't have enough room."

"But, then…where are you going?"

Ike ignored his question. "Bryce, we changing plans. You go out with Ranulf and Tauroneo. Hide there, and sometime after sunrise, distract the clerk. I don't care how, but get him out of the room. And be loud about it. We'll be hiding in the records closet, make sure we hear you and know when to come out."

"Now?" asked Bryce.

"Yes, go to Tauroneo now. Inform him of what's going on. Wait for Ranulf, and then jump back into the hiding spot. Don't come out til you are sure that the guards have all entered the prison again. Go now."

Bryce handed him the eight tags, along with the keys he had swiped. "You're probably not going to need the tags, but it is best to be prepared." Ike heard the footsteps of Bryce as he hurried off from the way they had come.

"Ok, Ranulf, you're on."

"See you in a bit, Ike." Ranulf paused. "I mean it. I expect to see you tomorrow."

"You can expect it." Ike smirked. In was at times like these that Ranulf's eyes seemed to glow in the dark. That glow went out as he turned toward the guard.

After a moment, Ike heard footsteps. Loud footsteps. And so did the guard. Ike faintly noticed his shadow get smaller as he pursued the noise, then disappear altogether as he turned down a different corridor.

"Boyd," Ike breathed in deeply. "Ready?"

Boyd sighed. "Let's do it."

As Ike took the first step, he said, "The Jaws of Death dispel the darkness. Only in the face of danger can you see clearly."

Ike realized, as he started toward the cell where the guard once stood, how much he really loved his sister and all of his friends. For, if he didn't, why would he even be here? This big risk would seem even bigger had it been for someone he didn't love. But, seeing as it was his sister, the disregard for the risk just came naturally.

"Ike, how are we going to know which cell?" Boyd asked cautiously.

The same went for Boyd. Ike could have not asked for a better man to marry his sister.

"Shush, Boyd, just look around. I'm sure we can find them, just peek in the cell doors. You take the right and I'll take the left."

One by one, Ike checked the cells on his side, with no luck. He couldn't see very well, but he could see enough to tell that it wasn't his friends he was looking at.

The footsteps to his right came to a halt. "Ike, I think this is it." Boyd said.

Ike jumped to where Boyd was and looked in. It was just like all the others; damp and dark, with the inhabitants within reduced to mere black outlines in the already-dark night. Except, there was one thing that was different. A pair of eyes floated in the middle of the room; big and blue and staring right at him, Ike would recognize those eyes anywhere.

Ike's heart raced as he fumbled in his pocket to get the keys. His sweaty hands finally clasped around them, and he tried each of the twenty-some keys until he got the one that unlocked the cell door.

By that time, the eyes had retreated to the back of the cell in fear. Numerous other eyes were now open and fixed on the new shadow which had entered their dank domain.

Without a word, Ike walked into the cell and stopped before the blue eyes, which were down by the floor in the far corner. He flashed an unseen smile and offered his lost sister a hand.

"You alright, Mist?"

That did it. She did have her eyes narrowed with detest and suspicion, thinking the shadow was a guard coming to whisk her away. Even after that long absence, she remembered the voice that haunted her dreams. The voice, which she thought she would never hear again.

"Ike?"

She was teary-eyed as she accepted the helping hand. Eye level, or as close to eye level as she could get with her brother, she could tell it was him. Out of her thoughts and into her stark reality.

"Been a while, eh, Mist?" Ike whispered.

"Shut up, Ike," Mist sobbed as she wrapped her arms around her brother. "Just shut up. You have no idea how long this really was." Ike felt humble tears drip onto his chest as she laid her head on his shoulder. "Is it really you? This isn't one of my dreams again?"

"I'm sorry, Mist." Ike did his best to comfort her, and he gently swayed from side to side. "I wanted to come get you sooner. I really did. But, I couldn't."

"But, you're here now." Mist said, picking her head up. "That's all that matters."

Ike, as much as he wanted to keep consoling her, tried to disentangle himself from her. "Mist, there is someone else here who wants to see you too." At the entrance of the cell, Ike turned and saw the faint outline of Boyd, still standing amongst the shadows. "Boyd, come here."

Mist gasped as she heard his name. The thoughts of man, remembered and gone, in her mind were nothing compared to the sight of him, in the flesh. A quintessence of love once removed by the bars of hell blossomed in such a foul, dark place. Walls can contain, but they cannot keep the inevitable from happening. Emotions spread to the limits created for them, no more and no less.

Mist nearly tacked the innate Boyd to the ground as she rushed as quickly as she could to his countenance in the eerie black. His body flinched at the contact, but, Ike knew that his heart yearned for this for much too long.

"Hello, Ike."

Astonished, Ike nearly jumped back before he realized that more than just Mist lay captive in this cell.

"Titania," Ike smiled. Another voice he would have a hard time forgetting. Most likely because this voice spent a good deal of time yelling at him when he was younger. "Surprised?"

"Frankly," she replied somewhere in front of him. "I can't say that I am."

"Yeah, I guess you're used to my life-saving mentality by now."

"More likely your recklessness…" she muttered.

"Ike," Ike felt a slap on his shoulder as another voice entered the fray. "You couldn't have come at a better time."

"Oscar, I thought you would have known by now that I am an expect time manager."

"Yeah, right." Oscar smirked. "Yeah, and I can beat you in a sword duel."

"Hey, it could happen." Ike shrugged innocently, a gesture that went unnoticed. "Anyway, we need to get going. Everyone be quiet and wait here a sec-"

Ike stopped at the sound of light footsteps. The guard was back.

"Boyd!" Ike exclaimed under his breath. "Shut the door!"

Boyd grudgingly separated from his beloved and Ike, luckily, did not hear a whine emit from the cell door as it closed, with Ike and Boyd on the inside.

The guard's footsteps passed the door without hesitation, and soon, they faded into the dark down the hall.

"Alright, that was too close." Ike sighed in relief. "We've spent too much time here already. Everyone here ready to leave?"

Ike heard muffled footsteps as everyone got to their feet.

"Alright, let's go." Ike said. He pushed the closed door open slowly and removed the keychain, which was still inside it. Once the last one, Boyd, had exited, Ike closed the door to help eliminate any suspicion.

Ike lead the way back to the entrance, which, thankfully, was the opposite way than the guard had walked. The door opened for them into a room of evil and of virtue. Barren to the spine was the room since they had left it, and now returned to it the same.

The clerk's meager office table, unscathed, was the single blemish upon the floors of the room that would save them. Nay, it was the closet of this room that would save them. Desolate and seldom used, perhaps it would lead them to the light at the end of the night.

"Quickly, into the closet!" Ike urged everyone when the door had shut upon the prison.

"The closet?" Oscar question. Others, too, had their eyebrows raised.

"Yes, I'll explain when we get in there. Now, quickly, come on!"

One by one, everyone filed into the room, and Ike, being the last, shut the door behind him.

"Okay, we forget anyone?"

"Excuse me, sir, but do I know you from somewhere." An unfamiliar voice asked. "Why are you saving just us?"

Ike counted and verified that they had ten dark shadows in the room; Ike, Boyd, and the eight prisoners. "Well, do you mind if I ask your name?"

"Gregory, humble knight of Crimea." The voice returned.

"Well, Gregory, five of the prisoners that happened to be in your cell were my friends. I have come to save them. But find that rescuing them, but not you, would be immensely rude, don't you?"

"Wait, so…so your Commander Ike? General of Crimea?" Gregory asked in disbelief.

"I resigned that post as soon as I could, but yes. I am the Ike of which you speak."

"Wow, I had no idea…"

"Yes, well, all the same, there are still some things I must tell you. This is what we are going to do. For now, we wait. Try to get some sleep if you can. At daybreak, someone will come in and distract the clerk who will be in the room outside this closet. His name is Bryce, and don't worry, I can recognize his voice. Once we hear him get the clerk out of the room, we will make a break for it. Ranulf and Tauroneo are out there, waiting for us. We will get out of sight of the prison and wait for Bryce to return. Everyone got that?"

"You mean, there is going to be someone just on the other side of this door, and we are supposed to stay calm with that?!" Another unfamiliar voice said. It was a gnarled, manly voice. Must be Harold.

"No one said that this was going to be easy." Ike replied grimly. "The risks can only get greater. But when the reward is your life, what wouldn't you give?"

"Yes, but then, why are you here?" Harold asked. "You had your life to begin with, why risk it for nothing?"

"Wrong." Ike replied angrily. "My friends _are _my life. My country _is _my life. And before today, I had neither. And, hopefully soon, I will have both again, else my soul be damned to an entirety of regret."

Harold did not speak any more. In exhaustion, Ike sat from where he stood. He had not realized until now how much his feet hurt.

The silence of the room was all Ike could sense as he drifted off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Ike was not the only one up early the next morning. He got the feeling, judging by many of the other's expressions, that they got about as little sleep as he did.

The lighting still wasn't great, but this was the first time that Ike got a chance to see his long-time companions up close.

The dirt ran rapid, especially on their faces, and the stench was putrid. Hollow, blue shadows sagged beneath their eyes. Most of the girls' hair was a tangled mess and unkempt by their normal standards. Dirty replicas of their counterparts from weeks earlier.

Not much was said that morning; nothing much was there to be said. Silence echoed in the room, and not a sound was heard beyond the door for a while either.

Ike kept his focus remained on the door. If that door opened, they were toast, he knew it. The echo of footsteps and the gentle creak of the door gave aware of the clerk's arrival, and it was enough to make Ike twitch involuntarily. The image of the door handle in front of him turning was all too well plaster on his mind.

And yet, the turn did not come. What did come was another entrant into the room. And this, unlike the clerks initial entrance, was not a sign of fear but rather an embellishment of joy. An intruder to the serene setting, and yet, all too welcome.

The closed door muffled much of his entrance.

"Ah, Bryce, welcome back!" Said an unfamiliar voice which they knew to be the clerk. "Anything I can help you with, good sir?"

"Yes," Replied Bryce. "I was hoping that you could lead me to the cell that I was at yesterday?"

Ike smirked. It was good; had he not known what going on, he wouldn't have suspected a thing.

"Unfortunately, I am not authorized to leave this room during open hours." The clerk replied. "But, perhaps I can have a guard escort you there?"

Ike felt his heart and his jaw drop. "Oh..er, yeah that's fine." Ike heard Bryce reply. Bryce hadn't been expecting that either.

More muffled footsteps, and then all was silent.

"Damn!" Ike muttered harshly under his breath. "This isn't good, not good at all…"

"Ike, do you realize what Bryce has just done?!" Boyd muttered angrily.

"What are you talking about?"

"He's leading a guard to a vacant cell that is supposed to be filled! If they don't already know that there has been a prison break, they will now!"

Ike was about to scream out in frustration, but more footsteps entered the clerk's office.

"Sir," said a gruff voice. "Some prisoners have escaped."

Ike sighed. Boyd was right, and they were toast.

"What?!" The clerk yelled out. "Who? Which cell?"

"All of the slaves in the cell number 10 in NE section 2."

"What? All of them?"

"Yes sir."

"Damn it man, I want a full search of the perimeter, including inside this building. I will not have the first ever breakout on my watch. Gather as many guards as you can, and don't stop searching until you find them!"

"Yes sir-"

"Sir, if I may," Came Bryce's voice. "I believe that I saw some people off by the coast. I couldn't see what they were wearing or anything though, because I was so far away. Perhaps that's them?"

"Guard, dispatch some men to the coast immediately. I will help in the search. Lead the way, Bryce."

The footsteps echoed loudly, then stopped and an eerie quiet ensued.

"Alright, I think this is the closest thing to an opening we are going to get. Everyone ready? We are going to make a break for it."

No one seemed altogether happy about this plan, but they all got up and ready to run either way.

"Alright? Go!"

Ike opened the door hard and began to break out into a full run. But, once on the other side of the door frame, he immediately skidded to a complete halt, and he almost fell over as everyone else ran into his back.

"Well, well." The clerk said, standing at the door frame leading out of the building and looking in at them, and a smirk on his face. Behind him was Tauroneo, tied around the wrists and led in by the guard, and Ranulf, also tied around the wrists and led in by Bryce.

"It seems we have found the rest of them, gentlemen."


	18. Chapter 18

****

I wish I could write more often, I really do...

* * *

Chapter 18

"They are all accounted for, sir."

The clerk's office. So close to the light, and yet, the door was shut. No less than ten guards were now in the small room, along with the clerk, all the escaped prisoners, and the ones trying to rescue the prisoners. Needless to say, the room was a bit cramped.

Ike sat on the floor, untied at the moment, but surrounded by all the guards in the room, along with all his friends. Ranulf and Tauroneo were the only ones unfortunate enough to have had their wrists tied.

"Thank you," The clerk replied to the guard. "Remain on strict watch on these men. I need to go check to see if the cell has any flaws."

"One more thing, sir," The guard added, causing the clerk to halt. "There are more here than escaped."

The man stared blankly for a second. "Hmm, interesting…We'll deal with them later, let me go check out the cell."

Ike, along with Boyd, Ranulf, and Tauroneo still had on the black robes over their clothes. The guards had yet to inspect them in any way, and perhaps that could be used to their advantage.

"Ike!" Ranulf, who was sitting just to the left of Ike, hissed under his breath. "Bryce is a traitor! I knew we shouldn't have trusted him!"

Bryce, unlike the others who conducted the rescue mission, had yet to be caught. He stood before them, just behind the wall of guards that circled them. It was impossible to see his face because he had a hood over his head. Where his face should be, there was a shadow.

"Listen, I am sure that he has not betrayed us." Ike muttered back hesitantly. "He is looking for an opening."

"What, are you blind? Ike, he led them right to us."

Ike changed the subject. "Ranulf, can you still formshift?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I still got my sword under this cloak, Boyd has his axe, and Tauroneo has his spear. Think we can take them?"

"No doubt." Ranulf smirked. "Let's do it-"

"Hey!" exclaimed on the guards before them. "What's so funny, you two?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Ike smirked. "We were just discussing if you are as bad with a blade as you are at trying to look intimidating. Personally, I don't think anybody could be that bad with a blade."

"You have a big mouth, boy." The guard replied. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing…for now."

The guard glared at Ike, but did not retort. Someone else did, though.

"Let me take care of this." Bryce said. "Prisoner, come here. Let this be a warning for all those with a sharp lip."

Ike looked almost fearfully at the man he trusted. Was his trust flawed?

"Prisoner, I believe I told you to come here." Bryce repeated heartlessly.

Ike glanced fearfully across at everyone else before getting up. His eyes lingered long on Mist, who looked on pityingly, helplessly, as her brother got up.

"Into the closet, prisoner." Bryce stated. "I believe you are already accustomed to it."

His voice was so firm, so cold; could it possibly be?

Still all facial expressions lurked beneath his hood, unseen to any curious observer. He pushed the closet door open and stood back to let Ike through. And as Ike went through, he felt a hand that nearly pushed him to his hands and knees.

Bryce followed him inside and shut the door forcibly behind him. Ike watched uncertainly as Bryce turned around and pulled back his hood.

In a light whisper, Bryce said, "Ike, look, we don't have much time. I've got a plan, but we need to try to do it before the clerk gets back, if at all possible."

Ike breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Wow, Bryce, I thought you turned-"

"Shut up, Ike, we don't have time." Bryce interrupted. "This is what is going to happen. Once we leave this room, I will claim to go help with the clerk."

"We can take them, Bryce."

"No!" Bryce hissed. "The door to the cells is still wide open. Any of the guards, or worse yet, the clerk, could hear you. So, I will go see the clerk, and I will make sure to close the door behind. Once that door closes, tell some of the others beforehand at least, to start attacking the guards. Those who were not alerted will catch on hopefully. Do try to be as quiet as you can about it though."

"Wait, so what are you going to do after that?"

Bryce ignored him. "After you kill or subdue all the guards, get back to the boat, but make sure no one is on your tail. For this mission, it might be best to kill all the guards."

Ike looked hesitant, but Bryce went on. "Meanwhile, I will catch up with the clerk, and once we get back to his office, he will be without a clue as to where you are. I'll be perfectly safe because I will have been with him in the cell; he won't suspect me of anything. So, he will let me walk free, and I will alert the others back in town. Once we get back the ship, we're taking off. Got all that?"

Ike nodded. "Yeah, I got it."

"Alright, one more thing; I brought you in here to tell you my plan, but all the guards think I came in here to punish you." Bryce bit his lip hesitantly.

"Fine, do what you wish." Ike replied, unfazed, knowing what Bryce was leading to.

"You're not even going to flinch? Wow, that's very noble. But again, you can use this to your advantage. Roll up you left sleeve." Ike did so. "Okay, I'm going to cut you there, but let me cut your right sleeve first. Then, after I draw blood, stain your right sleeve with it. This way, you'll be able to wield a sword just fine when the guards don't think you will."

"Good thinking." Ike smirked.

Bryce slashed through Ike's right sleeve with a knife and left a long, jagged cut in it. "Alright, brace yourself."

Starting up near the elbow, Bryce cut into Ike's skin, lightly but deep enough to draw quite a bit of blood.

"Oh, that stings!" Ike exclaimed under his breath as Bryce began cutting, trying to pull his arm back. Bryce's arm prevented him from moving, and the knife continued on its course.

"Quit crying." Bryce smirked. "Okay, done; now clean yourself up with your right sleeve, and do it as sloppily as you can."

Ike brought his sleeve over gingerly, and winced as it made contact. In the end, after Ike felt confident that the cut wouldn't bleed anymore, his sleeve was a mess. The red color wasn't easily distinguishable on the black robes, but it wasn't hard to see how wet it was with blood.

"Alright, roll your sleeve back." Bryce said, after putting his cleaned knife away. "And remember, play the part. Clutch your arm going out, and pretend that you can't put any weight on it. How's your left arm? Can you move it?"

Ike flexed his fingers, moved his wrists around, and flexed his elbows with a great deal of effort. "Yeah," Ike muttered, a bit angrily. "I'll manage."

"That shouldn't take more than a week to heal; I took care to not cut too deep."

"Oh, that's nice," Ike said sarcastically. "You want to cut me, but not _too deep_."

Bryce smirked. "Shut up and stick to the plan. We don't have a lot of time, let's go."

"Wait, give me your knife." Ike muttered hastily. "Ranulf and Tauroneo still have their arms tied."

Bryce handed it to him. "Now are we ready? Let's go."

Bryce opened the door and walked out first. "Come on out prisoner and sit back down." Bryce ordered as he walked back into clerk's office. "I do not think he will trouble you any more, guards, I countered his sharp tongue with a sharp knife. Quite effective."

Ike, playing his part, walked through the circular wall of guards and sat back down next to Ranulf.

Most of the guards grinned and looked at the stain on Ike's right sleeve. "Fight fire with fire. Nicely done." Said the one who Ike had talked to, starting this whole mess.

"Alright guards, I trust you will watch these men closely while I am gone, I must go speak with the clerk." Bryce turned around and walked back into the prison, closing the door with deliberate authority.

"What the hell, Ike?" Ranulf exclaimed under his breath angrily. "Bryce tortured you?"

"Follow my lead." Ike smirked. He then turned around and muttered to Mist, "Mist, when I give you a knife, I want you to cut Ranulf and Tauroneo's ropes."

Mist eyed him curiously, "What are you doing?"

Ike ignored her. He turned back to Ranulf grinning and winked again. All of the sudden, he stood up quickly and flung off his black robe. He tossed the knife to Mist, and by that time, the guards were going for their weapons. Ike unsheathed Ragnell from the scabbard previously hidden and charged right for the guard that had started it all.

By this time, Boyd, surprised and confused, nevertheless had followed Ike. His robe was now off and his axe in his hands. Ranulf and Tauroneo were both unbounded and ready to fight. And everybody else looked very confused and fearful.

The bloodshed started as Ike drove his blade through the first guard. His limp body fell off Ragnell and Ike turned around and hollered, "Mist, get them out of here!"

"Not on my watch, boy." The guard next to Ike muttered. "I won't let a single man by me."

This guard was quickly tackled by a blue blur, and Ranulf left the guard unconscious on the floor.

Taking those two guards out created a huge opening in the circle, and Mist was able to sneak by with everybody. The only exceptions were Oscar and Mia, who wanted to join in on the fray. They grabbed the swords of the guards that had fallen and jumped right in.

After glancing back to make sure Mist and the others made it through the door, Ike quickly turned to the next guard.

The place was not exactly quiet during the fight, but the door to the prison never did open. One by one, the guards fell. They were simply no match for Ike and the mercenaries when they had a weapon.

The circular wall fell as the last guard dropped to Boyd's axe. Ike, however, did not listen to Bryce's advice. He, as well as every other fighter, did not aim to kill. Out of all the unconscious guards, only one Ike was sure was dead, and his blood was the first spilt. Not the only blood spilt, however, as the room had been left in a bloody puddle. A small cut on Ranulf's leg constituted the only blood that any of the mercenaries lost.

"What now?" Ranulf asked, almost fearfully. He wiped his forehead with his arm and looked around expectantly.

Ike wiped his forehead with his sleeve and looked around the room. So much for trying to mask their escape. "We need to get out of here. Come on."

Ike led the charge out of the room, and he closed the door when they all came out. Thankfully, Mist and the rest of them were waiting for them. But, none of them looked particularly happy. Little Caroline was weeping into Mist's leg and the rest looked somber and unsure.

"Ike?" Rhys asked. "What's going on?"

"We're saving you Rhys." Ike smirked. "I thought that much would be obvious."

Rhys looked unfazed. "Fair enough. Where are we going, though?"

"I got it worked out, Rhys, don't worry. Follow me everyone."

Ike broke out in a full out sprint in the direction of the dock, with everyone else right behind. Ike turned his head frantically every five seconds, just to make sure no one was following them. He felt so exposed, running through a plain field with no protection, but luckily, no one was looking for him. Well, at least within sight. Hopefully nobody noticed the guards yet.

He was starting to feel a little winded as they finally made it to the dock.

"Well, well. Look who came back." Said a chubby man with a smirk plastered on his face.

Aww, not now…

* * *

"Have you found anything?" Bryce asked.

"No, nothing." The clerked sighed. "The door was open when I got here but nothing else seems out of place."

Bryce pretended to start looking around the cell. "You don't suppose…the lock was faulty?" He suggested.

"Impossible." The clerk said violently. "We test each and every lock at least every other day, sometimes more. If it was faulty, we would have known and replaced it. And, if it was faulty all this time, why didn't they try to escape sooner?"

"I don't know…" Bryce sighed. "Maybe they just didn't realize it until recently."

The clerk frowned. "I doubt it. Prisoners always check those kinds of things in desperation when they first get put in. But…I suppose we can't totally disprove it just yet. What we do know is that there was help from outside."

Bryce looked at him quizzically. "How do we know that?"

"Didn't you the guard? There were more people there than were in the cell originally."

"They could have been prisoners from other cells." Bryce pointed out.

"How would prisoners in different cells _organize_ such a breakout?" The clerk asked angrily.

"Maybe there were just a couple of friends in this cell that tried to break out, but they wanted to break all of their friends out as well?"

"Fine!" The clerk sighed tensely. "So, we know absolutely nothing about how they broke out, and have nothing to help us prevent such a breakout in the future. Happy?"

"Well, we did catch them." Bryce added. "So it was not a successful breakout."

"But it was close. I want to make sure this never happens again. There must be something, anything, that can shed some light on this mystery."

"The prisoners?" Bryce suggested. It had been long enough; they must be out of there by now.

"They won't talk." The clerk sighed and looked around the small, empty cell once more. "And besides, we shouldn't trust any word they say. Most likely, they will just try to trick us."

Bryce shrugged. "Still worth a shot. Because I don't think we will find anything here."

The clerk sighed again. "Alright, let's go. We're going to kill them anyway, might as well try to milk information out of them."

Bryce, led by the clerk, walked down the dark corridors of the prison. They passed many guards along the way, something that Bryce had thankfully not encountered during their breakout last night. If all went to plan, it will have been a successful breakout.

After a bit of walking in and out of different hallways, they found themselves at the closed door in between the clerk's office and the actual prison.

Bryce couldn't tell if the clerk noticed or not, but the stench around this door was horrible.

Almost like rotting flesh.

* * *

"Hey Rick," The man on the left said. It was the same two they had run into before. "Think these foreigners will like our new boat?"

Well, that's good. They didn't realize half of them were prisoners. But what was he talking about?

"I doubt it, Jeff." The other said smugly. "It's a piece of junk."

Ike narrowed his eyes.

"But they are junk, Rick!" Jeff exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. "Surely they would like it!"

"Well said." Rick smirked. "But, to be honest, the only way for us to make use of that boat is to burn it."

"What are you two blabbering about?" Ike said coldly. They didn't have time for this.

"Well, we decided to confiscate your boat!" Rick exclaimed happily.

"Confiscate it?" Ike replied. "But, don't you want us to get out of here?"

"Yeah...So?"

"Soo…don't we need a boat for that?"

"Swim little fishy!" Jeff exclaimed. He flapped his arms about, trying to imitate a fish, while Rick laughed hysterically.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…" Ike muttered under his breath.

"Mad, foreigner?" Rick grinned maliciously. "What are you going to do about it?"

"No, the question is, what are _you_ going to do about it?" Ike retorted, pulling out Ragnell. Behind him, Boyd, Tauroneo, Mia and Oscar readied their weapons and Ranulf was ready to transform again. And behind those six were the rest of the prisoners, fearfully watching and waiting.

"No foreigner. The question is," Rick brought his fingers to his lips and let out a blood curling whistle. At that, no less than twenty men, just like Rick and Jeff, hop out of nearby bushes and from behind nearby trees. All of a sudden, they were surrounded. "What are you going to do about _us_?" Rick finished with a menacing smirk.

"Mist, get back!" Ike hollered.

The twenty newcomers continued closer, but stopped within ten feet. The unarmed prisoners continued moving back until they were up to their ankles at the nearby shoreline, with the armed fighters in a half-circle around them.

Ike and the six fighters in the group did their best to shield the startled and confused prisoners.

"So," Jeff said, pulling out a long knife. "What will it be? Do you want to swim? Or would you rather cross us?"

Ike eyed him with intense hatred as he tried to think of a way out of this.

"What's the matter?" Rick asked innocently. "At least we're giving you the choice of your own death!"

The mob erupted with laughter around them.

"You have an awfully big mouth." Ike said loudly, trying to rouse the man's anger. "If you are going to say something, you better live up to it."

"What do you think we are doing now?!" Jeff exclaimed heatedly, brandishing his knife in Ike's direction.

"Talking." Ike said calmly. "You keep saying you are going to kill me but I haven't seen you make a move yet."

Rick grunted loudly as the color rushed to his face, but before he said anything more, Ike continued, "And even now, you hide behind your men as you talk! Stop acting all big and bad, because you're not."

"Alright, that's it!" Ike smirked inwardly as he watched Rick's emotions get the best of him. "I am going to shut that fat lip of yours up!"

"Ohh, a duel, now we're talking!" Ike exclaimed.

"Not a duel. Pick a partner to be killed with you." Rick stated before roaring, "Everyone get back!"

Rick and Jeff stepped forward as the other men moved back. When the men moved back, the dock was left unguarded.

Ike noticed this and turned around to the prisoners, so that his back was to Rick and Jeff. "Ranulf," Ike proclaimed loudly. "Want to help me out?"

Ranulf walked up to Ike and smirked, "You know it!"

Ike put his hands on Ranulf's shoulders to play the part. "Take Oscar's sword." Then, to Mist, who was right behind them with the other prisoners, whispered, "The dock's open. If you get the chance, lead them out of here."

And with that, Ike turned around and began to walk toward Rick and Jeff confidently, with Ranulf right next to him.

"Pretend you know how to use that thing." Ike whispered as they walked, indicating the sword. "Don't transform until we start. The element of surprise never fails"

Ike couldn't tell if Ranulf nodded or not, as his attention remained fixed on the two ahead of them. He and Ranulf stopped about five feet in front of their adversaries, in the middle of a wide open plane.

"Rules?" Ike asked determinedly.

"None." Rick answered.

"To the death?"

"To the death." Jeff answered.

"Excellent, just the way I like it." Ike smirked. "Ready, Ranulf?"

"Ready." Ranulf returned confidently.

"Alright." Ike said, turning to the two before him. "Whenever you're ready."

Rather than answer, Rick leaped with surprising agility at Ranulf, who was almost caught unaware. He jumped aside at the last second as Rick tumbled onto the ground in stride.

Ike smirked as he watched Ranulf begin the transformation into his Laguz form. Both of them shouted out in fear as they watched a blue cat take the place of the blue haired man.

Ike then detected a glint in the distance. The glint of sunlight on metal for a brief second as the _whish _of an arrow sounded past.

Another scream rang through the air soon after, but a much more familiar one. Ike looked in fear as he saw Ranulf, howling in pain, with an arrow sticking out his back.

Ike spun angrily to look for the source, which was an archer in the distance among the mob.

Rick laughed menacingly; now, like Jeff, fully recovered from the shock Ranulf had given them. "Play fair, now. No sub-humans allowed."

Ranulf continued to writher around on the ground, a small puddle of blood now drenching his coat. The cat looked ready to pass out.

"You lost your chance for a partner." Jeff smirked. "Guess you'll have to fight us both at once!"

Giving Ranulf one more concerned look, Ike turned his attention to them once more. "Once again," Ike said furiously, pulling out Ragnell. "You hide behind your damn friends. Please, even if it is the first time, show some dignity, you damn cowards."

Somewhere behind him, Ike heard many shrieks, and Ranulf was still in the corner of his eye, but Ike focused and stared at the two men with an unmatched, intense hatred.

He lowered himself into a battle stance while continuing to pierce the very souls of his victims with his eyes.

"Well, well…" Rick smirked. "You're not going to run? Very well. All that much easier for us."

Jeff leaped much the same as Rick had not too long ago, but Ike was prepared. He jumped to the left almost effortlessly. Rick then leaped again, but Ike jumped back to the right, making sure to get Jeff across the head with the hilt of his blade along the way.

Jeff's nose started to drip with blood as he spun to the ground. It took him a while, but he got up, while Ike watched on and did not seize the opening that had been presented.

The two Zadonians got back right next to each other and directed their twin knives at Ike, who looked almost indifferent to the threat.

With a high pitch yell, both of them charged right at Ike. They were sloppy and slow, and Ike easily deflected both of their attacks with Ragnell. He then kicked Jeff back and was about the do the same to Rick.

Instead, Ike screamed in agony as a knife cut across his left arm, his already-wounded arm. It fell limply to his side, and the only reason it didn't drop lower was its attachment at the shoulder. He felt the old wound rip open as well as the new wound as his sleeve began to drip blood freely.

Ike winced and let out a loud grunt as he tried to move it, and failed. It was numb and throbbing with pain, and he could not move it an inch below the elbow.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Rick laughed menacingly. "You can still give up." Rick said tauntingly. "There's a lot of water behind you, you can always go try your chances there."

Ike glared at the two Zadonians in front of him. Ignoring the pain in his arm, Ike ran at them. He punched Rick, on the left, dead in the face with his sword arm, and then spun around for a powerful roundhouse kick right into the gut of Jeff.

Both of them, caught unawares, fell to the ground. Rick now had a matching broken nose with Jeff, and he was knocked out cold. Jeff quickly got up, but his demeanor had changed from lighthearted to fearful. All of the confidence in his eyes was lost, and the battle was all but over from that point. Even with a limp arm, Ike had stolen the show.

Ike charged at Jeff quickly. Jeff put his knife up in defense feebly, and Ike slashed it right out his hand. Ike knocked him back with the dull side of Ragnell effortlessly and Jeff fell to the ground.

"Please!" Jeff gasped, at a loss for breath. "Please! I never meant any wrong! I'm sorry! I don't wanna die…" Jeff wept into his hands convincingly, but Ike knew he was faking it.

"Then why did you try to kill me…" Ike muttered, dropped his sword to his side.

"Please!" Jeff exclaimed hoarsely. "Show me mercy!"

Ike sighed. "Drop your knife and get out of here. Get your men out too. I daresay that friend of yours is going to be startled when he wakes up."

Jeff didn't respond. He dropped the knife at his side and got up quickly. He scurried off toward town, his men a step behind.

Ike smirked and shook his head, and began to turn around.

But he stopped short when he saw Ranulf, still in a bloody puddle and no longer moving.

* * *

"Dear goddesses…" The clerk murmured as he shielded his mouth and nose with his hand. Bryce imitated him, but in addition to blocking out the smell, it was to conceal the smirk that had developed on his lips.

The office was in a complete mess. The clerk's table was unscathed, as were most of the surfaces, but the ground was home to many wounded, dying and dead guards, as well as their blood that had poured out.

It was impossible to get across the room without touching blood or a body, it was that bad.

And the best part was that there were no prisoners in sight.

Bryce felt a hand grip his cloak as he was pulled out of the office and back into the prison by the clerk.

"What the hell is going on?" The none-too-happy clerk asked.

Out here, compared to in the office, the smell was infinitesimal, and they were able to breathe without a hand in front of their faces.

"I don't know." Bryce replied innocently, acting shocked.

"Was it like this when you came to me?" The clerk asked, still fuming.

"No, the guards were still in position and the prisoners weren't resisting at all."

"Damn it!" The clerk exclaimed. "I just knew I shouldn't have trusted them, I knew it! Oh, now I'm in for it…"

"Perhaps…" Bryce began, his voice trailing off.

"What?" The clerk said anxiously. "Do you have a plan?"

"Well," Bryce continued uncertainly. "Maybe, I might be able to find them still. I doubt they could have gotten very far, given the amount of time since their escape."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" The clerk said hastily. "Go look for them!"

"Yes sir!" Bryce said obediently. He turned to open the door and ran through the bloodstained room, not with a frown, but with a very happy smile.

All was going good so far.


	19. Chapter 19

**Meant to get this updated a week earlier, but I ran out of time and did not finish it before me and my family went on a week-long vacation. Good news is now my doctor has cleared me and says my knee is fully recovered, so maybe I'll write more since I'm not as depressed :P**

**Enjoy**

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* * *

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**Chapter 19**

A sharp blade's edge was nothing compared to the sharpness of the commander's sneering grin as he perched himself at the throne of the fallen kingdom's capitol. The castle was mainly empty, since all the inhabitants had been shipped off to Zadonia, but frankly, quiet was the way Amaros liked it.

The halls of the castle of Sienne were barren to the very soul; empty and lifeless.

From the window in the throne room of Sienne, Amaros gazed across the horizon. All of the land before him was now under his control. Every patch of grass, every tree, every town from here to Melior was now his.

Tellius had fallen, and Amaros had risen to take the spot.

Amaros smirked inwardly to himself. They had won.

"Sir?" came a voice from behind him.

Amaros turned around slowly. Light from the setting sun shone through the window and revealed Hogan, alone and grim.

"What is it, general?" Amaros asked confidently, turning back to the window.

"Sir, I have news." Hogan replied bleakly.

"What of?"

"The Hero." Hogan said simply.

Amaros spun around so quickly, he almost tripped himself. "Have you found his whereabouts?"

"No." Hogan replied. "Worse, much worse than that. One of the spies that you ordered to check nearby cities and towns returned. He has much more disheartening news."

"And that is?" Amaros asked expectantly.

"This spy went to Cerdic Hill by your orders. He stayed there for a few days and just arrived back earlier today. He claims to have found multiple people who attested to seeing the hero in a small inn there. He says that they believed he stayed there two days and left seven or eight days ago."

"So, he's just a runner like all the rest." Amaros said indifferently. "We'll catch him, whether he runs or not."

"Let me give you some background on Cerdic Hill, sir." Hogan said with a tad of condescension. "It is a local town, maybe a day's walk from here. Which would mean he would have had to gone there immediately after the battle here at Sienne. But, most importantly, Cerdic Hill is a _coastal town_."

"Wait, so are you saying…"

"…That our hero can be anywhere in the known world right now, yes." Hogan finished. "And for all we know, he could be recruiting more people to fight."

"Damn…" Amaros muttered. "Is there nothing we can do?"

"As of this moment…no." Hogan replied. "We need to wait and be prepared. This is the Hero's land we are sitting on, and my guess is that he will not take kindly to that. So we must not turn a sideways glance. He will be back, and he will want us out."

"So be it." Amaros sighed. "I will send extra men to Melior and Nevassa to fortify our defense. And I will deploy spies all over the countryside, especially the major ports. If the Hero returns, we shall know when and where."

"There is more." Hogan said. "A man just arrived this morning at the foot of the castle. He banged at the front gates, claiming to be from Zadonia. We have let him in the castle and searched him. He is definitely of Zadonian origin and does not possess anything to threaten us with. He says that he came all the way here on a boat and that all he wants is to speak with you."

Amaros furrowed his brow. "Anyone else with him?"

"Yes," Hogan replied evasively. "But…"

"But?" Amaros said expectantly.

"We cannot get a look at this other person. He is bundled up, and the man won't let us look at him. He claims that it is what he came here to show you."

Amaros scratched his gnarly red beard. "No weapons, you say?"

"None at all." Hogan replied. "Unless they are bundled up with the other person."

"Well, I don't see any harm in letting him in." Amaros concluded after thinking a bit. "He's probably just turning in a local, hoping to get a bit of cash, but who knows? Perhaps this man will be of use to me. Send him in, but you stay in here with me."

"Yes sir." Hogan replied and walked out the room.

Amaros turned back to the window again. So, the Hero was on the move again. Can't he ever just stay still? Or even if there were a way to predict his movements. For he could strike at anytime, anywhere, and Amaros had no say and no way to stop him before it was too late.

A loud thud on the door announced Hogan's return with the man and his baggage. The man was a bit older than Amaros was expecting, but no older than fifty. He was short and stout, the body of a metalworker. Numerous scars along his forearms confirmed that.

"So you are the man General Hogan was telling me about." Amaros said. He glanced as the door opened, but he turned back to look out the window instead of facing his guest. "What is your name?"

"Gabe, sir." The man replied stiffly. "Gabe Fendrel of Farlor."

"Fendrel…" Amaros muttered. The name rang a bell. "You are the famous blacksmith, yes?"

"So I am told." The man replied indifferently.

Amaros faced the man and took two steps closer to him. "Stories of your abilities with metal have reached my ears many times. To what do I owe this honor?"

"I come here today," The man started, a huge grin on his face. "With someone who may…provoke your interest."

"And who might that be?"

Gabe began to untie the brown bag. It was tied around the body so that only its feet were sticking out. Slowly the knot came undone, and Amaros watched as a familiar young Laguz fell out limply.

Gabe smirked at Amaros' dumbfounded face. "Perhaps you know of her? I managed to swipe her off a man I recognize as the Hero now."

"Is she…dead?" Amaros asked lightly.

"No. She is alive and well, but unconscious at the moment. I think you may have some use for her?"

Amaros eyed him suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"What all men want." Gabe smirked. "Gold. Gold and revenge."

* * *

The breeze was light and the air still as Bryce rushed down the path toward the small town they had stayed at on the night they had arrived. The blinding sun was out and high above his head, and if wasn't already sweating enough from anxiety, he was sweating like a pig now.

And still, he pushed on. A stitch in his side felt as though numerous needles had pierced him there, but he pushed on. His legs were cramping up, but he pushed on. He was so exhausted he was starting to get dizzy, but he pushed on.

For he knew if he did not continue pushing on, someone behind him would be.

Sure, they didn't suspect a thing when he left, but truth will come out eventually. It is best not to rely on ignorance if one's life is on the line.

The determination and speed of Bryce's stride did not weaken throughout the course of his trek from the prison. He was going just as fast as he entered the town of Hathorn as when he had barged out of the prison, though admittedly it took much more of a struggle to do so toward the end.

At around noon, Bryce found the inn they had stayed at to discuss what was going to happen, and the inn that still housed Soren, Caineghis, and Nasir.

"Would ya like a room?" Said an old barmaid as Bryce entered the small inn they had stayed at. The bar was vacant save for two guys slouched over in a corner, and he could tell they were drunk as soon as he entered.

"No thanks," Bryce said hastily, but as politely as he could. "I already got one."

The Barmaid eyed him but did not question and continued to clean out a beer glass.

Bryce ran through the room and into the hallway just to the barmaid's right. The hallway led to the inn's six guest rooms, three of which they had rented out themselves.

Bryce hastily pounded on each of the doors that they had rented out because he did not know which one they were in. Slowly, the door that he knocked last was the one that opened.

"Bryce?" Soren, who answered the door, asked, surprised. "What's going on? Where are the others? Shit, were they captured?!"

"No, no, not that," Bryce replied impatiently. "Come on, we need to get out of here. Now!"

"But-" Soren started, feebly.

"No time for questions, Soren, we need to get back to the boat."

"Where are Ike and the others?" Soren asked suspiciously. By this time, a groggy Caineghis and Nasir had appeared behind Soren.

Bryce let out a frustrated gasp. "If all went according to plan, they are already on the boat! Now, let's go!"

Finally, Soren moved and they ran down the hall, with Caineghis and Nasir right behind. But as soon as they exited the inn, Soren said while he was running, "I'm not getting on that boat unless Ike is on it."

Bryce ignored him and kept running. He had come to expect this behavior from Soren, and he was surprised that Soren even responded this quickly.

Pretty soon, the boat came into sight…

* * *

All the physical pain Ike felt throughout his body paled in comparison the hurt he felt when he saw Ranulf lying there, helpless and in a great deal of pain. He gasped involuntarily as he sheathed his sword and ran over to his cat friend.

The arrow pierced deep into Ranulf's back. At some point in time while Ike was still fighting, Ranulf had reverted back to a human unconsciously. Ike gripped the arrow lightly and tested it. It was jammed in good, he concluded, and definitely at least a few inches in.

As much as he wanted too, as much as he thought it would help, Ike could not bring up the strength to pull the arrow out. He figured he'd let Mist and Rhys take care of the healing; Ike would take care of the worrying.

As gently as he could, Ike picked Ranulf up with both hands. Ignoring the stinging pain in his left arm, Ike did his best to keep Ranulf steady and with his back up, so that blood would not freely flow out of the wound; but at the same time, he ran as quickly as he could up to the dock, where he saw everyone there waiting for him. And on each face was an equal look of concern.

Ike didn't even slow down as he approached them. "Ike!" Mist yelled as he ran by. "Wait! You're hurt!"

"Not now!" Ike hollered back, grimacing. "Everyone on the boat!"

Ike continued at full speed up the plank and onto the boat, with everyone else right on his tail. He kicked down the door to the lower levels and ran down the stairs. He kicked down another door to a bedroom and gently laid Ranulf down on his stomach on one of the beds.

Ike felt the pain in his left arm intensify as it got caught between Ranulf and the bed. He cried out in pain as he jerked it loose from beneath Ranulf's grasp.

Fresh blood flowed out of the wound, yet again. Ike felt a hand on his back guide him to the other bed in the room. Ike did not resist as he laid himself down gingerly into the bed.

It was Mist's hand that had moved him, and when he had laid down, she and Rhys hovered over him checking for injuries. The others lingered at the entrance to the room, watching and waiting.

"No…" Ike grimaced and squinted his eyes as he shook his head. "Someone go look at Ranulf."

Mist gave Rhys a look that basically said that she wasn't moving from her brother, and Rhys quickly caught on and walked over to Ranulf to check him out.

"Sometimes," Mist muttered as she examined the cuts on Ike's left arm. "I can't tell if you are just very strong or very stupid."

Ike winced as she poked at the cut. "Yeah, it's hard for me to tell sometimes, too." She pulled the pillow sheet off one of the pillows and wrapped Ike's arm in it.

"Seriously, Ike," Mist sighed. "You never want to put too much pressure on an open cut this big. It doesn't look like you harmed it though, this should heal fine. You're a lucky man." Mist said, letting go of his arm.

"I am very lucky." Ike smirked. "Because I get to see my sister again."

Her face lit up. With a huge smile, she jumped into bed next to him and hugged him tight. "I've missed you so much, big brother." She whispered

"I've missed you too." Ike muttered. "You have no idea how much I have wanted you to be back."

"No, Ike," Mist whispered lightly. "I do have an idea, because that is exactly how much I have wanted you back."

"I'd hate to interrupt this family moment," Rhys said irritably. "But if you're done helping Ike, I could really use some help here, Mist."

Mist jumped up. "Oh, yeah, sorry Rhys." She ran over the Ranulf's bed.

"How's he doing, Rhys?" Ike asked.

"Not sure. All we can do for now is get the arrow out and hope for the best."

Ike frowned. That was not the answer he was hoping to hear.

"Don't worry, Ike, he'll be fine." Titania said as she sat down on his bed near his feet. "Stop fretting. What you need to do now is rest."

The others as well had begun to crowd his bed. Except for Caroline and the two Crimean Guards, who still stood at the doorframe.

"Ike," Oscar said from the side of his bed. "I know that you already know this, but I must say it aloud anyway. Thank you. And thanks to all who helped get us out."

"Oscar…" Ike sighed, smirking. The knight always had good manners, but sometimes it was infuriating how far his manners went. "I can't imagine how I could get along without you guys. Seriously, you all are my family. So, trust me when I say it was my pleasure."

Oscar smiled. "Like I said, Ike, I needed to tell you my thanks, even if I knew you wouldn't accept them."

Ike frowned playfully. "Can't you see, guys? I'm selfish! I did this for me, not you!"

"Wanting your friends back is not selfish, Boss." Mia said smiling. "It is probably the most unselfish want there is." She walked over to the side of the bed and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Ike."

Mia walked away from the bed and out of the room, leaving a startled Ike behind.

"Alright, everyone." Titania said, smirking at Ike's reaction. "Let Ike get some rest."

They all followed Mia out the room, including Mist and Rhys, who could not do more until Ranulf woke. Ike glanced at Ranulf. Had Ike not known Ranulf was hurt, he would have guessed that he was just sleeping cozily; he looked so at ease.

Ike yawned. It had been a long day, and yet it wasn't even over. The mid-afternoon sun shone through the open window behind his bed.

He did his best to get himself comfortable while not putting any weight on his left arm. He closed his eyes and, thinking about what had just happened, silently wondered if Lethe was the jealous type.

Without even thinking, he was almost sure of the answer.

* * *

With a soft "click", Boyd closed the door to Ike and Ranulf's room shut. Boyd smirked. Within seconds, he could hear Ike's soft snores grumbling through the door.

"Soo…" Rhys said uncertainly. "Do we have anybody that can sail this boat?"

"Yeah," Boyd replied hesitantly. "We need to wait; Soren and the others should be getting back any minute."

"Then when do we do now? Wait?"

Boyd nodded sorrowfully.

Rhys did not say any more. Instead he sat at the big table at the middle of the room, and everyone else followed him.

"So, Boyd," Oscar said. "You escaped with Ike from Sienne, right?"

Boyd nodded. "Yeah…er, me and Tauroneo are the only ones here that did."

"Perhaps you can clue us in as to what has happened over the past couple of weeks?"

"Oh, yeah, of course." Boyd replied. "There isn't much to tell; most of those days were travel days but yeah, I'll tell you what I remember."

"Start from the beginning." Titania added. "I want to know all that happened."

Boyd grimaced. He didn't know if he could remember that far back. "Well, it all started when we all met in the forest outside Sienne-"

"Who is 'we all'?" Oscar interrupted.

"Me, Boyd, Ike, Ranulf, Soren and Lethe." Tauroneo answered.

"Yeah, well we hysteric after what happened." Boyd continued. "Well, almost all of us. Ike is who got us moving. I don't know about the others, but I know I would probably still be in that forest had it not been for Ike."

"Yeah, I felt the same way." Tauroneo agreed.

"So, we went on our way and found ourselves in Cerdic Hill, a small town on the coast. It was there that we got this boat, as well as the captain of this boat. Perhaps you will recognize his name…"

"Don't tell me…" Titania said, surprised.

Boyd smirked. "Nasir."

"Wait, so is he here?" Rhys asked.

"Yeah, he'll be coming with Soren." Boyd glanced at the staircase that led to the upper deck, as if expecting them to walk in at that moment. When they didn't, he tunred back and continued, "Anyway, Soren left town for a few days to go to Gallia. While he was gone, nothing much happened. Me and Ike did talk to Mist a few times through the stone, though I'm sure she told you about that."

Mist, sitting right next to Boyd, reached under the table and grabbed his hand. "Yes, I did." She said lightly. "Too bad the Zadonians took that stone."

"We don't need it anymore." Boyd smiled. "Well, once Soren came back with Nasir, we left for Zadonia. We had a minor problem—rats I believe—that caused us to dock earlier than we wanted to."

"Hey Boyd," Titania said with a quizzical look on her face. "You've mentioned Soren and I've seen all the others that escaped except Lethe, and you haven't said a word about her. Is she with Soren and the others you were talking about?"

"Well, that's what I was about to get to." Boyd frowned. Good thing Ike wasn't up. "Rats most of our food and we were forced to dock 3 days earlier than we wanted to, in a small town called Farlor. Somehow, we were taken in without question by a rich man and his son who lived there. Unfortunately, that's where it started to go downhill."

"Why? What happened?" Mist asked fearfully, concern etched on her face.

"We settled into one of his guest rooms, which could easily fit all of us in comfortably. And, for dinner, we were served by none other than the Lion King himself."

"The Lion King?" Oscar asked, perplexed. "Caineghis was in Zadonia?"

Boyd nodded grimly. "Bought off the Zadonian slave exchange and put to work already."

Mia, as well as many others, gasped. "That's horrible." She exclaimed.

"Yeah, well as you can expect, neither Ranulf nor Lethe was overly happy with this. And neither was Ike. That night, we met the man's son. Bryce, the son, said that he wanted to help us out. Said that he wanted no more harm to his new friend. And, surprisingly, Caineghis said he would not leave without Bryce."

Boyd paused. "Ike trusted Caineghis, and trusted his faith in Bryce. But I know that I, as well as many of the others, was having some second thoughts about this Zadonian. He has proved himself trustworthy though, and I believe that he truly wants to help us bring Zadonia down."

"Wait…" Gregory, one of the two Crimean knights, said. The look on his face showed that he was struggling to keep up. "This Bryce…he left his country to help us bring it down? That doesn't make sense."

"Man, not country." Tauroneo replied simply.

Gregory still seemed confused, so Boyd clarified. "Zadonia did not start this war, the commander of the Zadonian army, Amaros, did. From what I gather, Bryce wants to dethrone Amaros and restore Zadonia to the way it was before him."

"Very heroic." Oscar said, clearly unimpressed. He, like the others around the table, did not trust Bryce from the start as Ike had. "But what of Lethe?"

"I was getting there." Boyd said impatiently. "As I was saying, that night we plotted with Bryce to escape the next morning with Caineghis. But…" Boyd looked to the ground shamefully. "Our plans were made much more simple the next morning."

"Simple?" Titania asked astonished. "What do you mean, simple?"

"The next morning, the rich father was nowhere in sight…but neither was Lethe."

Of them all, Mist's gasp was the loudest. "What happened?"

"I don't know." Boyd said regretfully. "We woke up and Lethe was not in her bed. Something was definitely wrong, because in such a dangerous place, even Lethe would tell somebody that she was going to the bathroom or something."

Boyd continued. "Ike had Bryce search the entire house, with no sign of Lethe. There was just one clue that assured Lethe's disappearance. In the foyer of the house was a sentence on the wall that seemed to be written in blood. I don't remember exactly what it said, but basically, it said that he knew we were trying to take Caineghis, and that taking Lethe was his revenge."

"W-what?" Oscar asked. "But how did he know that you were up to some…unless…"

Boyd knew what he was going to say long before he said it. "No!" He flat-out denied. "It was not Bryce, else he would have left with his father then and there. You have to trust me, Oscar, and Ike, too. Bryce is a Zadonian, but he is not an enemy."

Oscar eyed Boyd, as if trying to read his face and mind for the truth.

"Fine." Oscar said unconvincingly. "Continue."

Normally, Oscar was a quick believer. Hardly ever, in the long time Boyd had known him, did he ever doubt a friend's, or a brother's, word. But this was rather serious; Boyd didn't mind if Oscar, or the rest of them, didn't believed him as of yet.

Boyd took a deep breath, but hesitated before starting again. None of them knew about how things had arisen between Ike and Lethe; perhaps it was best to leave Ike's breakdown out of the story for now.

"So we continued on to the prison in the north with no difficulty." Boyd lied. "We got there in about two days, and you all pretty much know what happened from there."

"But Boyd," Mia said, in maybe the most fearful voice that had ever escaped her lips. "What about all those guys that attacked us? How did they know you? What if they come back?"

"We had a little run in with the two Ike and Ranulf fought when we first got here, but only those two." Tauroneo clarified. "And I doubt they will come back again. They are scared of us; without their men they are no match for us and they know it."

"Oh yeah," Boyd murmured sheepishly. "Forgot about those jerks…"

"What were they after?" Titania asked. "They looked like normal pirates, but you don't have anything valuable on this boat, do you?"

"Well, I guess you could say they are a different 'type' of pirate." Boyd said depressingly. "They hunt anyone not from Zadonia. They hate foreigners."

All of a sudden, they heard the pitter-patter of feet running across the deck above. Either that is a good thing or a really bad thing…

* * *

After a mere hour of sleep, Ike woke to the same setting he had fallen asleep to. The room was quiet and empty, but outside the door, he heard an intense discussion going on.

Groggily, Ike propped himself up on one elbow and glanced over at the other bed. It surprised him to see that Ranulf was not sleeping still, but sitting at the side of his bed and looking right Ike.

Ranulf gazed into his eyes for a moment or two, then lowered his gaze and said ashamedly, "Sorry, Ike."

"Sorry?" Ike said, taken aback. "What are you sorry for? You are the one that got hurt. If anybody is supposed to be sorry, it should be me."

"Sorry I couldn't be more help." Ranulf lowered his gaze further. "I suppose they were expecting us to use a Laguz fighter because they were ready."

"Yeah, but you couldn't have foreseen that…"

"Yeah, even so…" Ranulf sighed. "Well, what happened? I guess you were just fine without me if we are back on the boat, huh?" Ranulf smirked a bit.

"Yeah," Ike paused. "To be honest, you gave me a bit of motivation."

"Yeah?" Ranulf laughed. "So I did do something after all."

Ike joined in. When the laughter died down, Ike said seriously, "Just don't do that again."

"Yeah," Ranulf said, scratching his head. "I was going to say that getting shot by an arrow wasn't my favorite tactic. Is it bad?"

Ike immediately shook his head fiercely. "No, no, Mist and Rhys took it out and though they didn't say anything, it definitely didn't look bad."

Ranulf breathed a sigh of relief. "So are we moving?"

"That," Ike said slowly. "is a good question. But I don't think it really matters. You should get some rest."

"Wait, so why are you in here?" Ranulf said in sudden realization. "You didn't get hurt, too, did you?"

"No, no," Ike said quietly. "Just fatigued a bit, that's all. Nothing to worry about. Now, get some rest. It has been a long day."

Finally, Ranulf gave in. He laid back down on his stomach and grunted, "That it has." Not much later he was out, and soon after Ike was out, too.

* * *

With a thunderous crash, the door to the upper deck gave way to the figures of Soren, Caineghis, and Bryce. Unseen, Nasir was still up on the deck and with a jolt, the ship began to move. Confidently, Soren strided into the room and stopped short of the table. Caineghis walked right next to him the whole while, and Bryce was content, if not happy, to walk behind them instead of in the open.

Soren smirked at the astonished looks and raised weapons in front of him. "What?" He asked innocently. "Who were you expecting?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Boyd could not help but laugh out loud as he saw Soren's wide grin. True, it was not unexpected, seeing as they had seen the Zadonians run off in utter fear with no incentive to come back. All the same, there was still that possibility, and it was a relief to see Soren and the others instead of men coming to take them away. Well, _try _to take them away.

The ship was beginning to sway more than it had been; a tell tale sign that the ship was released from dock and had set course for home once more. Someone was on the upper deck, sailing the vessel, and Boyd had a pretty good idea of who it was.

"Soren," Boyd grinned, timidly lowering his axe. "Glad you could make it!"

"Where's Ike?" Soren asked abruptly.

"He's sleeping." Boyd replied. He elected not to tell him the whole truth, as of yet. "It would be best not to disturb him right now."

"Oh, alright." Soren sat down in one of the vacant chairs around the table heavily, at once releasing his stress.

In the midst of the silence that ensued, Titania looked up and said, "King Caineghis, it is so good to see you again."

"Ah, Titania," Caineghis stated loudly with a sliver of a grin on his face. "Of all the places we could have reunited, I never would have expected here. Still, it is an honor to see you, to see all of my friends from times ago, once more."

As Caineghis was moving his arms around happily, gladdened by the sight of his friends, he winced as he felt a tug from his back; his whip scars seared in pain in being stretched a bit too far. He instinctively dropped his arms, but did his best to hide his face in an emotionless replica.

The reaction was not seen by many, but it did not pass the gaze of Titania. "Caineghis, are you alright?" She exclaimed, interrupting Boyd's delightful recounting of the battle that had just occurred to a mildly interested Soren; a recounting which included him majestically decapitating their leader with a single swing of his axe and also, in his mercy, digging a grave for the poor soul. Naturally, he had claimed, the others were so fearful of his might that they ran away.

"Yes, I am fine." Caineghis lied, but Titania saw right through it and glared at him. "You needn't worry about me, Titania, I'll be fine after a few days rest." With that, he marched off to the room next to Ike's closed room; closing the door firmly behind him.

Titania glared at him and sensed his pain, but gave no pursuit. Instead, she listened vaguely as Boyd continued his tale about how he, and he alone, carried Ike and Ranulf, both gravely injured, on his shoulders all the way back onto the boat; all while nursing a minor cut in his knee. A cheap shot by the enemy, no doubt, as Boyd cannot be hurt by conventional means.

"Those jerks." Boyd smirked, shaking his head.

Soren nodded slowly, not believing a word that had left Boyd's mouth.

* * *

Ike awoke again that night. Maybe it was even the early hours of the morning, he wasn't sure; all he knew was that only darkness was outside his little window.

Ranulf was fast asleep and snoring lightly into his pillow. Ike's mind, body and soul felt just as tired, but, for some reason, his eyes did not want to close.

After what seemed like hours tossing and turning, trying to get to sleep, Ike resolved to get a drink of water. Quietly, he slid out from under the sheets and out of bed. Silently he tip-toed to the door and opened and closed it without a sound.

As he was walking, he realized how tight his arm felt, and how much it hurt to even move his fingers and wrist. It was definitely more than a simple injury, and it looked like it may take a while to heal completely.

Ike walked into the kitchen and, with his good hand, grabbed a glass and scooped out some water from a large barrel of water. He walked back into the entry room and dropped down heavily into one of the chairs.

At long, irregular intervals he took a small sip from his glass, staring into space the whole while. While he sat there, he began to think. Think about all sorts of things really, but most of all, Lethe. How, after realizing their feeling for each other, they had so little time before being forcibly separated.

Ike sighed and then quickly realized he was not alone. Walking towards Ike, with robes darker than the night around him, was Soren. He sat down next to Ike with a purpose, looking at him with an intense glare.

"Nice to see you again, Soren." Ike whispered quietly, not looking at the young sage any longer, and instead staring at a point far off in the darkness.

"I've been thinking, Ike…" Soren started, his voice trailing off.

"About what?"

"About…what next."

Ike opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut it before anything audible came out. Truth is, Ike had been thinking about that quite a lot as well. But most of these thoughts somehow involved his heroic slaying of Amaros under Lethe's terrified eye.

"Yeah…" Ike said slowly, sighing. "Much is still to do yet. So much that I have no idea where to start. Can you give me any hints?"

There was a long pause before Soren responded simply, "Ike, we cannot continue to trust Bryce."

Ike's initial reaction was to laugh. And that he almost did as he muttered angrily, "I should have known what this was about. Soren, you need to put this thing you have against him behind you. He is just as much on our side as you or I."

"Ike, just think for one moment." Soren retorted. "Think of all the damage he could cause us back in Tellius. In Zadonia, nobody had anything against the people from Tellius, save those people we ran into in that town. The only people who wanted this war now rule Tellius. If he tried to hand us over back in Zadonia, he probably would have gotten laughed at. But in Tellius…" His voice trailed off into an ominous silence.

Ike saw the truth in his words. Bryce would get paid, and paid handsomely at that, for handing over the hero and his gang back in Tellius. But this did not mar his view of Bryce in the slightest. "Soren, the only way we can win this is if we stick together. If we avoid any internal conflicts, we have a shot. And I can tell you right now that Bryce is not going anywhere, so it would be wise of you to just drop this."

"Alright, alright, fine." Soren sighed, but Ike could tell he was far from convinced.

"So, what do you think we should do once we land in Tellius?"

"Ike, from what we have seen of them so far, I can tell that they are structurally weak. Apart from Amaros, they do not have a strong leader. If we put out the light, the boats will run aground."

"So, you mean that if we can get rid of Amaros, the whole army will fall apart?"

"Exactly." Soren responded.

"But how do we do that? We don't even know where he is."

Soren frowned and said, "I'm working on it. Goodnight, Ike."

Soren got up and walked to the door he had emerged from moments before. Ike watched him go thoughtfully. Over and over he tried to think of some sort of plan or idea.

But all that kept popping into his head was the image of him and Lethe reunited over the slayed Amaros.

* * *

The next morning was not too much different from a normal day back at the fort. Oscar was up early to make breakfast. Ike and Ranulf both woke up late and began eating breakfast after everyone else was done, save Boyd, who also walked in about the same time as the other two. All that was different was that, when everyone had finished, they either walked back to their room or stayed put at the table. Nothing much else to do, and, for the most part, nothing much else was wanted to be done.

Groggily, Ike and Ranulf walked out of their room at about noon the next day. Breakfast was laid out for them on the table. Ike yawned and took a chair next to his sister. At the time, only Mist, Soren, Boyd, Oscar and Bryce were in the room.

"Morning." Ike muttered lightly to everyone as he stuffed his mouth with eggs. Ranulf winced as he sat down next to Ike. After that, he was careful not to let his back touch the spine of the chair he was sitting on.

"Afternoon is more like it." Soren muttered to himself.

"How's your arm feeling?" Mist asked as he shoveled food into his mouth.

"Wait, what?" Soren exclaimed heatedly. "How bad is it?"

Ike sighed. He had been trying to mask his injury from Soren because he always overreacted. And he had been doing a pretty decent job of it too, had Mist not ruin it.

"It's nothing, Soren." Ike muttered. "And fine, Mist."

Soren glared daggers at Ike, but said nothing and instead stormed off back to his room.

Mist, knowing it would be vain to try to get anything more out of Ike, turned to Ranulf and asked, "And how's your back, Ranulf?"

Ranulf, who was gently spinning his food with a fork with a depressed look on his face, grumbled, "Fine."

"You know," Mist huffed. She quickly stood up and eyed Ike and Ranulf angrily. "You wallow yourselves in self-pity all you want, but just don't try to get me to pity you as well." With that she stormed off as well.

Boyd, without having said a word or even looking at Ike or Ranulf, followed Mist out of the room blindly.

Ike made sure that she was gone, namely by listening for the loud thud of a door shutting at a very high velocity, before smirking at Ranulf and saying, "I've lost count of how many times she's just up and left us like that."

Ranulf's mood lightened considerably as well when they left. "Well," He said, smiling mischievously, "as I am the one with the stylish looks and humble personality, it must be one of your faults that sent her running."

"Oh yeah," Ike said sarcastically. "'cuz I definitely can't wield a blade or lead an army to victory or anything of that sort."

Ranulf shook his head and said, "I don't know why I hang out with you."

Oscar, who was sitting a few chairs away, silently chuckled to himself and shook his head at the two's lighthearted and merry nature. Bryce was also still sitting at the table but he seemed so focused on his own thoughts that he didn't hear word that was being said five feet from him.

"Hey, I have an idea." Ranulf said, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Let's…get back at Mist. You know, for ditching us like that."

Ike laughed. "What did you have in mind?"

At that point, Oscar stood up and muttered something about "…asking for it now…" and walked off towards the kitchen to clean up.

Ike watched him leave with a slight grin on his face. "You know, maybe now is not the best time…"

"What?" Ranulf exclaimed. "I knew you were too weak to go through with it. Well, I'll be in the room planning, drop on by when you get the backbone to help me."

Ike watched him go, not dismayed, but elated. This was what he was hoping and waiting for. Bryce was still sitting slumped over the table, eyes glazed over and drool starting to form at the corners of his mouth. Lost in thought.

"Hey Bryce." Ike called timidly.

With a jerk of his head, Bryce snapped out of it. He focused on Ike and said, "Huh…oh Ike, sorry, I was just…"

Ike fervently shook his head. "No, no, it's nothing that important; I just needed to talk to you about something."

"Yeah sure." Bryce said questioningly. "What is it?"

"Well," Ike said, not quite sure where to begin. "It's just, you being a Zadonian, you were able to help us out in a way nobody else could."

"Yeah…?"

"Well, I've got a favor to ask of you."

* * *

Lethe woke up one morning bound at the limbs. She was in some sort of cell, dank and dreary, with very little light. Both of her hands were strapped above her head and her ankles were in shackles connected to the wall right behind her.

The stone which made the cell stank of dried blood and rotting food, or perhaps rotting bodies. Her cell was relatively big, Lethe could barely see the cell bars of the cell about five feet in front of her. Though there was no light in the cell, there was a mysterious little light way past the cell bars and far out of her immovable reach. Probably where the exit to the dungeon was, she concluded.

She tried to move her hands even one inch apart, but failed miserably. The shackles on her feet were loose enough for her to shift her weight from time to time, but that was about it. Looking back, Lethe found it impressive, miraculous even, that she was even able to sleep for five minutes chained up like this.

Perhaps it _was_ only five minutes.

Thankfully, her clothes were still completely intact. But that was about all there was to be thankful for in a desolate cell such as this.

At that moment, she heard a loud noise and a shadow emerged from the distant light. It walked closer and closer towards her, until the shadow became five times as big as it was before. It stopped before the cell bars.

"Ah, you're awake!" The shadow exclaimed with a seemingly happy voice. "Better late than never, I suppose. So how are you feeling?"

Lethe glared at the shadow and silently wondered how the shadow could tell she was awake. Even with her acute vision in the dark, much more acute than a human's, this dark was so pitch that she couldn't see anything about this shadow at all.

She then heard the jingle of keys and then the loud whine as the shadow opened her cell door and shut it behind it.

"I believe," The shadow said, slowly and quietly. "That we have met before, no?"

Apparently the shadow had been holding an oil lantern for as soon as he had finished that sentence, the room was lit brilliantly by the lantern. What Lethe saw made her twitch back in astonishment and make her hit her head on the stone wall behind her.

It was him. His face, lit up with a genuine gleam, smirked down on his captive's frightened face. His hair, an eerie shade of blood red, was tied back in an untidy ponytail. A red mustache and goatee compo outlined his delightful smirk and his eyes glimmered with a sense of pride and victory.

He laughed menacingly as he saw her look of shock. "Yes, yes, I do believe we were fairly well acquainted at our last passing, were we not? Tell me, were you the cowardly girl I used to tempt the hero?" His smile widened. "Yes, you have not changed one bit."

Lethe growled at him. "Sure, you're all talk when I am all locked up!" She snarled.

"Ah, but you misunderstand my purpose. I'm not here to spew hateful invectives at you all day."

"Then stop trying." Lethe snapped.

He ignored her. "I come here, not with a purpose, but a plan. A plan which you will agree happily to, I hope. You see, I am not the cruel, unreasonable man you make me out to be. I am much more sophisticated than a common thug. And, that being said, I do not believe in the deprecate conditions with which you are forced to live."

"Then let me go!"

"Ah, but I am a man of business as well." Amaros slowly paced in front of her, but his malicious eyes were always fixed on her. "What would I have to gain in my unconditional release of you? What would Zadonia have to gain? No, no, I need a little…something in return."

Lethe remained silent while he paused to observe her reaction.

He continued, "But, I think that my one condition may not be such a big sacrifice on your part at all. In fact, you may even like it. What to know what it is?"

Lethe glared at him. "Tell me." She commanded gruffly.

"Oh, I will, but first I must ask, what do you mean to the hero, Ike? Does he, think highly of you? If you were in danger, real danger, would he risk his life for you? I must know because a lot of my, for lack of a better word, plan, depends on the answer to that question."

Lethe tried her best to remain apathetic, but she could not hide involuntary twitch in her eyes when she heard his name.

"Well, you need not respond, my dear, I believe I have my answer." Amaros grinned.

"What does it matter to you anyway," She retorted. "Ike has already shown you that you aren't as invincible as you make yourself out to be."

"Yes, but this time around, I'll have a little backup. Just in case he doesn't cooperate as I think he will, I will always have you." He paused and then added gravely, "And there will be nowhere to run this time around."

"So that's your little plan." Lethe taunted. "You're going to fight Ike with me as your shield. Yes, I can see how you built up your reputation of being a coward."

"Hmm, yes and no." Amaros said calmly. "There is a little more to it than what you suggest. I mean, what would the hero have to gain in coming here with you not here? Yes, he wants his home back but you are going to add a little extra…incentive to his coming. I'm all about efficiency. About doing what's quickest with the smallest cost. And you, my young friend, have sped up this war greatly."

"Back off!" She growled. "I have nothing more to say to you."

"But you're not in much of a position to render yourself silent, are you? Very well, humble as I am, I will leave you to your thoughts. Just remember that your freedom will come at the expense of the hero's."

Amaros gave her one last menacing grin before turning on his heel and walking back down the hallway. At some point, he blew out his lantern and he vanished from sight once more. All that remained was that mysterious little light at the end of the hall, far in the distance and way out of reach…

After that confrontation, she had a great deal of morbid thoughts, but none more miserable than the final thought that Amaros had left her.

* * *

The next couple of days were a bit of a drag for Ike and the other aboard the seafaring boat. Basically, the day composed of eating and sleeping, and talking between others was kept to a minimum. Ike and many others tried to get conversations going within the group, but everyone was so down and depressed that most of these trys didn't pan out very well.

The ship was due to land in Tellius in about two days, Nasir predicted. Basically, that meant two more days of agony, depression and solitude.

"Hey Ike?"

Ike shook himself awake from his thinking daze. He sat at the side of his bed, his elbow on his knees and his head propped up by his hands. He had been staring, unmoving, at the wooden planks beneath him. Though his prior thoughts had nothing to do with how whoever made this ship managed to make the planks fit together so seamlessly.

Ike looked up and saw Ranulf lying in his bed and staring up at the wooden ceiling above him. Evidentially, his back was feeling better.

"What?" Ike said, gruffly. His voice was becoming gnarled because he was using it less and less frequently.

Ike did not hear an answer for a while. Just as he was about to ask, what, again, he heard Ranulf's voice once more,

"How much do you think will change…after all this? If we win?"

"When we win." Ike answered immediately, but he had to think a little before answering the question. "What do you mean, change? I think that all the nations of Tellius will stay the same, if that's what you mean."

But Ike knew all along that's not what Ranulf meant.

"No, no, I mean, will everyone be the same as they were before the war?" Ranulf asked. "Like, will they think the same way? War changes a person; I just hope it doesn't change them too much."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, Ike." Ranulf said sternly. "You know what I'm talking about. After seeing so much torture, pain, death…I hope that they will recover."

It was true. Never had there been a war on such a massive scale as the war they were presently going through. And there was no telling which way a man will go after an experience such as that…

"You have to focus on the good in the people, Ranulf." Ike replied. "We recovered nicely from Ashnard."

"Yes, but Ashnard was no Amaros. With Ashnard, they at least had a face to hate for all the crimes and deaths. But Amaros…well half the people don't even know who that is. Who will they vent their rage against?"

"Oh, is that what this is about?" Ike said with a sudden realization. "Ranulf, you are focusing on the worst of humanity again. What makes you think that they will need to vent their rage?"

Ranulf sprang up and sat on the side of his bed to face Ike, a very frightening look on his face. "Oh, come on, Ike, they will need to. I don't think my kind can take too much more prejudice and hate. Just look at Caineghis. He has suffered so much while a prisoner in Zadonia, and they barely even know what a Laguz is. Think of what it will be like back here."

"Look, Ranulf, it's true, you have suffered much hate over the years, but I'm determined to make it stop. I will personally dispatch of any Laguz slaveholder in all of Tellius. In my view, if a Beorc believes he is higher than a Laguz, then he is not worthy of living in Tellius."

Ranulf frowned. "Ike, you can't get rid of basically everyone living in Tellius."

"No," Ike replied with a smirk. "That's why I'm relying on there not being many slaveholders, if any at all, once this is over."

Ranulf gave a little smile, muttered his thanks and laid back down on his bed. Within minutes, he was snoring once more.

Moments later, Ike got up and left the room. Quietly, he walked up the stairs and onto the deck. He nodded his regards to Nasir, who nodded back and focused once more on steering the ship. Ike continued past him until he was at the bow of the ship.

Sighing, he rested his elbows on the outer railings and looked out at the sea before him. The setting sun was making the tops of the waves glitter with an amazing beauty. Other than that, there was not much to see out in the water, except water that is..

But there was plenty to think about.

Ike sighed, and that was when he heard footsteps from behind him. He sensed that they were walking towards him, so he waited for them to be right next to him before he turned to look.

As it turns out, it was Mist. She came up right next to him and leaned on the rail as well.

"Pretty, isn't it?" She said lightly.

He nodded. "It is…"

"You know, Ike," Mist started. "it's the little things like this that I'm going to miss if we never get Tellius back."

Ike stared out to the water a little bit before answering. "I'm going to tell you like I've told everyone else Mist, there is no question. I'm getting Tellius back."

"No, but not just Tellius." Mist replied. "I want my country back, but what use is my country if my brother is not in it?"

Ike remained silent.

"I'm just saying, Ike, I can't stand to lose either. Both mean just as much to me. So, when you're out there, trying to save Tellius, just remember this. I don't want an exchange. I don't want a switch-off. Nobody does. If you have to sacrifice yourself to save Tellius, don't. If you fail to save Tellius, we can try again later, but if you die…"

Ike looked over at her. She had a small tear rolling down her face, but she held a sad smile on her lips.

"…I can't come back, yeah, I know." Ike grinned at her,

"So you want me to save Tellius without dying? Yeah, I think I can do that."


	21. Chapter 21

**Enjoy, I hope to write as often as I have been for as long as I can.**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

The ship pulled into a dock in Tellius two days later, spot on with Nasir's prediction. Specifically, they pulled into a dock in the north of Crimea, in a town known as Port Toha. Ike remembered this town well from their last encounter; they would have to be much more careful this time around, when a large conflict with Laguz-haters would not be preferable.

With Ranulf, Caineghis, and Nasir cloaked in full body-length brown robes, the group careful got off the ship and into the subtle village. Being a port town, they had no problem finding an inn where they could all sleep comfortably.

This was when Harold and Gregory took their leave of the group. Both were immensely grateful and thankful for Ike's deed and had offered to help. Ike, even humbled as he was, decided to decline their offer and told them to get back home to their families. And they did.

The town was similar to how it was when they had last been here. The buildings poorly built and almost identical to each other, and the people were shady to say the least. Soren made sure to remind all of them not to speak to anyone, as these people were very unpredictable, feared and hated anything different from them, and were easily offended. A combination which made a street brawl, not only possible, but highly likely when trying to engage in conversation with any of the townsfolk.

Nevertheless, they were soon comfortably locked in their rooms. The barmaid who had sold them their rooms was in utter shock when Soren offered to rent all the rooms left in the small building. They soon found out why, as the quality within the rooms was very poor and it was easy to see why they were not often sold out.

After a bit of quick planning by Soren, Ike soon found himself in a four-bed room with Soren, Bryce and Oscar. Ike suspected that he knew why Soren had a placed Bryce in the room with them, though he did not confront the sage about this.

Other than the four beds, the room contained nothing but a table with a small candle on it, four chairs, a tattered rug, and a small, cut out section in the wooden wall that served as a window.

Ike claimed the bed all the way to the left. He threw his small bag of possessions at the foot of his bed and immediately leaped onto the sheets. It wasn't very late, but Ike was worn out. Probably because of the all the walking he had just done, as he wasn't accustomed to walking much on the ship.

Ike closed his eyes and began to rest and, from what he heard a few seconds later, he wasn't the only one that was tired.

For a few minutes, they all lay peacefully in their beds, until someone broke the silence.

Of course, it was Soren. "Hey Ike?" Soren had taken the bed directly adjacent to Ike.

Ike's eyes twitched open. "What is it, Soren?" He grumbled unevenly. He rubbed his eyes and yawned while he waited for a reply.

"I've been thinking, and I've been thinking hard, but I really can't think of any way that we can figure out where Amaros is, much less how to get to him. I would assume that he has taken refuge in some heavily fortified place, but there are many little castles throughout Tellius. And even then, they probably have loads of guards and-"

"Soren!" Ike interrupted calmly. "Save your breath, I have figured out the same thing."

"But, then everything we have worked for is nothing! We have no way to finish this war short of joining the Zadonian army. Which they would reject us upon first sight."

Ike smirked. "Well, you said it yourself, Soren."

"What?" Soren asked quizzically.

Ike leaned up a little bit and caught eyes with Bryce, who was looking at him intently. "Your right, they would turn us away if we tried to enter their army. Except for one of us."

Soren's face still looked a bit confused after Ike said this, but soon he caught on. "No!" Soren said vehemently. "No, Ike we can't do that, it is far too dangerous."

Ike was quite sure that Soren was not talking about it being dangerous to Bryce's well being, but to their whole mission's secrecy.

Ike simply laid back down and ignored Soren. Again, he closed his eyes to rest.

"Ike, listen to me!" Soren muttered angrily. "We can't do that, there is absolutely no hope for success!"

Ike's eyes remained closed as he said, "Go ahead, try to think of something else. But until you think of something better, we're sticking to this plan."

With an exasperated huff, Soren jump out of his bed and stumped out of the room without saying another word.

Once he was gone, Bryce sat up in his bed and said, "Why does he distrust me so much? I have done nothing but help you out."

"It's just Soren." Oscar replied. "You have to work for his trust."

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Ike added. He too sat up on the side of his bed. "Soren doesn't trust anyone except the original Greil Mercenaries, really." Then, thinking of Shinon and Gatrie, he added, "And it is pretty shaky with some of them, too."

"What? Does he think that I would turn you in for…for…for money? Fame?" Bryce spat, starting to get a little angry.

"That's exactly what he thinks." Ike admitted. "But don't worry about him. When you find out where Amaros is hiding, he'll come around." Ike gave him a reassuring smile.

"There are more important things than money." Bryce muttered.

"Too true…"

A minute or two passed before Oscar asked, "So, Ike, how do you plan on accomplishing this plan of yours? I don't know much about Zadonia, but my guess would be that the Zadonian army doesn't reveal the location of its commander to new recruits."

"Well, I haven't thought about if much yet…" Ike admitted. "but Bryce does come from a respectable Zadonian. I think that he may be able to get a higher position than a recruit when he applies. The tricky part may be finding a place to sign up for the army."

"Yes, that may be a problem…" Oscar agreed.

"Historically, when Zadonia takes over a nation, they try to recruit the people from the rural towns and farms." Bryce said. "They threaten to imprison the men, with the only possible way out is to enlist in the army."

"Wait, are you saying that there may be a recruiting officer in this town somewhere?" Ike asked, shocked. He had not heard this piece of information before, but it did seem logical.

"I'm not sure, maybe…" Bryce replied inconclusively. "Might be worth a shot to look."

Ike nodded slowly and looked at Bryce, full of thought.

"Alright. Are you up for it tonight?"

* * *

Ike and Bryce, both fully cloaked, began to walk through the town right after dinner. They had not seen Soren since he had run off, but that was so much the better for them. If Soren knew what they were doing, he would flip. It did not take a lot to convince Oscar to cover for them; in fact, he was the one who offered to. Apart from Oscar, no one knew where Ike and Boyd had gone, and most of them didn't even know that the two had left.

The streets were dark and unwelcoming as they walked through the town. The alleys offered a hideout for many suspicious characters but, luckily, none of them ever approached Ike and Bryce as they made their way uncertainly through them.

Some of the buildings were so beat and worn out that it was a wonder that they were even still standing. Most of the candles were out by now, but under the starlight, Ike could see just how run down many of the wooden houses really were.

At first, neither Ike nor Bryce really had any idea what it was they were looking for. Some kind of Zadonian outpost, sure, but what did one of those look like? But, no more than half an hour of search later, they had found it.

The one thing that set this particular building apart from the rest was the fact that this building was, in no way, run down, beat up, or about to fall to the ground. This building was a huge, two-story building with many windows lit by candlelight. There were four, eloquent pillars on the front side of the building which held up a balcony which extended from the second floor. And the door to the building itself rose almost as high as the pillars.

"This is it." Ike said when he and Bryce found the building. Everything fit. This building was new; it was definitely not here when Ike had passed through here last. The architecture of it was assuredly not from Tellius. And it was too glamorous for anyone who lives in Port Toha to own.

It was located near the docks, on prime waterfront property. The building itself had a small dock for personal use, but Ike and Bryce did not see this as they approached the building. As he got closer and closer, he realized that the building was painted a dull red and the roof was a pitch black.

It was not until they were right in front of the building that they stopped. The front door had a huge window and on the inside of the lit entrance room, Ike saw what he recognized to be the Zadonian flag.

Ike put his hand on Bryce's shoulder when he turned to him and said, "Alright Bryce, I have to take my leave of you here. Good luck."

Bryce nodded and opened the door, a look of grim determination on his face.

* * *

In the minutes that followed Bryce's departure into the mysterious building, Ike began to look for a good hiding spot. One which would allow him to see the door to the Zadonian building and not be seen by anyone coming out of it. And, as if that weren't hard enough, it also had to be a spot he could easily get out of for he needed to be able to catch up to Bryce once he left the building.

It did not take long for to find a suitable spot. Directly to the left of the building's entrance was a couple of empty barrels. They were not the perfect hiding place, but in the intense dark, no one would be able to see him when he was completely submerged in one of the barrels.

It was hardly a couple of minutes before Bryce emerged from the building once. Ike could hardly believe it but he jumped out of the barrel and ran to him anyway. Ike grabbed Bryce unawares on the arm and dragged him to a nearby alley.

"So?" Ike asked him in an excited whisper. "What did you find out?"

"Nothing." Bryce replied lightly. "Yet."

"Nothing?" Ike repeated, disheartened. "What do you mean? They haven't figured out about you and us yet, have they?"

"No." Bryce replied mysteriously.

Ike frowned. Bryce was acting very strange and ambiguous. "What then?"

"Well, I walked in the building-it was nice on the inside and definitely a Zadonian recruitment office. I talked a bit with the receptionist and I found out that, indeed, it was."

"But what happened?" Ike asked him impatiently, starting to get a little irked.

Bryce ignored him. "I kept talking to the receptionist for a little while until I saw someone I knew." Ike, at this point, frowned and furrowed his brow, listening as carefully as he could. "This man also recognized me and he offered me comfort and hospitality. I politely told him no, that I only wished to join the cause."

"So, are you in?" Ike asked, starting to shake and wither with anticipation.

"No, but I might have found something that will help us even more."

Ike felt all the excitement that had been welling up inside instantly blow away with the breeze. Anger rose to take its place. "Bryce, stick to the plan!" Ike commanded in an agitated whisper.

"Ike, you have to trust me on this one." Bryce pleaded. "This man…he can really help us. He has very close contacts and he really wants to help us."

Ike narrowed his eyes. "How can he help us?" He asked skeptically.

"I'm not really sure yet…" Bryce mumbled in response. "But, as I said Ike, he is really close and he can basically do whatever he wants in the Zadonian army. He has offered all of his services and all he wishes in return is to see you."

Ike's breath was cut short when he heard this. "No, Bryce, absolutely not! Do you not know how dangerous this is? I will be thrown into some cell the moment I walk into that building. Even if this man is as trustworthy as you say he is, everyone else in the building would be willing, happy even, to throw me into a cell!"

"Ike, you are already fully cloaked." Bryce replied, frowning. "Nobody will be able to see your face, much less match it to a face that not even half the army has even seen before."

"Yes, but they asked you to remove your cloak, did they not?"

"Yes, just the hood." Bryce replied, having already restored his hood since he stepped out of the building. "But that's not the point. They will recognize me and allow me to pass without checking now that they know me. And they will not check anyone that accompanies me either. So you and I can pass, undetected, through the halls to this man's office, where we can shut the door for privacy."

Ike still stared at Bryce skeptically, even though he could see no flaw in his reasoning. "Still, why should I trust this man you speak of?"

"Ike, I have learned long ago that a man of a different nationality is just as deserving of trust as any other man. I think that it is time for you to learn the same."

"What are you talking about?" Ike muttered angrily. "You're Zadonian and I trust you just as much as anyone else in Tellius."

"Then why don't you trust me now?"

Ike glared at Bryce. He had effectively made him eat his own words. "Alright, alright, fine." Ike sighed. "What do I need to do?"

"Ok, good." Bryce smirked. "So you're in?"

"Don't make me regret it." Ike growled.

"Ok, just follow me, and keep your cloak on. Be sure to be very quiet." Bryce began to walk out of the alley. "It is late and I don't expect there to be very many guards in the halls, but nevertheless, be careful."

Ike made sure that his cloak completely covered his body; he didn't want an inch of his skin exposed. Once satisfied, Ike rounded the corner out of the alley behind Bryce and appeared at the front of the building once more.

Bryce glanced back at Ike for an instant before he opened the door and stepped into the building. Ike followed a step behind and, once inside, was struck by the glamour. The entry room was half the building at least. There was a staircase on his left and his right, and Ike could see three separate doors on the second floor.

An exquisite rug covered almost the entire floor before them. The walls were covered with various decorations ranging from decorative swords to Zadonian flags to paintings of Zadonian soldiers in all their glory. And, to top it all off, an expensive-looking chandelier hung from the roof far above.

Right in front of the door was a desk which was occupied by a young female receptionist. She looked exhausted, but she continued to write something down as they entered the room. On either side of the desk was a separate door, but each led to the same hallway.

"Well, Mr. Fendrel, the general is willing to see you whenever." The receptionist said yawning, never looking up from her work. Ike was a bit surprised that she knew it was Bryce without even looking up. But he was even more surprised when he heard the word, "General." Who was that?

"Thank you, I'm heading to him now." Bryce replied, and he began to climb up the staircase to the left. Ike followed him up the stairs, and they walked beside the railing until they were directly over the receptionist's desk, where there was a door. Bryce opened the door and Ike followed him to the end of the hallway.

Ike could tell that this was the general's door just by the look of it. The other doors, apart from the entry door, were plain wooden doors. But this door was quite a bit bigger than any other door. The door handle looked to have been made of pure silver, and so did the knocker. There was a carving in the wood of an axe underneath the knocker.

Bryce opened the door without question and he stepped inside nary a backward glance. Ike, however, was a bit more hesitant. He only began to move once Bryce had disappeared completely and the door almost closed on him.

The room on the other side of the door was just as glamorous as the door which protected it. The point of interest, however, was the ornate desk before him. There were two chairs that faced the desk, one of which was occupied by Bryce. On the other side of the desk sat a man who looked very familiar…

"Ah, Ike," The man exclaimed. "So nice of you to join us! Please, sit!"

Ike narrowed his eyes. This man looked extremely familiar, but Ike did not know where from. He was short and had short brown hair and brown eyes. His robes were a dark black, and they looked like the robes of a magician. Other than that, Ike could see much more about this mysterious general.

Ike walked away from the door frame and sat down in the chair next to Bryce. As he was sitting, he heard the door behind him creak to a close. And, as Bryce had already removed his hood, Ike politely did the same.

Bryce was the one who spoke next. "Alright, Ike, what you're going to hear next is not what you were expecting to hear."

Ike never took his gaze off this general. "Who is he, Bryce?"

"You know me, hero, you know me quite well." The general replied.

Bryce sighed. "Well, here it goes. Ike, this is General Hogan."

The name took a minute to register in Ike's mind, but when it did, it almost made Ike spring out of his chair in anger. Was Soren right?

"What the hell?!" Ike rounded on Bryce, who calmly waited Ike's anger out. "What are you doing, Bryce, trying to turn me over?"

Bryce sighed again. "I told you that you would be surprised…"

"Damn right, I am!" Ike yelled again. "You can try to turn me over all you want, but you will never succeed! Soren was right about you."

"Ike, you are surprised, and have great reason to be, but you have no reason to be angry. I am not turning you over-"

Ike laughed. "Then why bring me to _him_?!" Ike brandished his finger toward Hogan. Hogan himself just sat back in his chair and listened intently to what was happening around him, not making any moves.

"If you would just let me explain, there is much that you don't know about Hogan." Bryce replied calmly.

Ike's anger subsided somewhat, but he continued to glare Bryce. "Tell me." Ike said crossly.

"Allow me." Hogan said meekly. Ike directed his cross stare to Hogan. "I am through with Amaros. I wish to help you."

"W-what?" Ike's anger lessened quite a bit, and his muscles, which were tense with anger, relaxed a bit. Bryce stared out the window, lost in thought as Hogan continued.

"It is true." Hogan repeated. "Everything that Amaros is doing and has done to Tellius is wrong. It is not much, but I wish to offer you my help and my support."

Ike stared at the general with his mouth agape. "I-Is this some kind of trick? What are you doing?" Ike whispered.

"This is no trick, Hero. I have a bit of information that can really help your fight against Amaros. Just say the word and I will share it with you."

Ike continued to watch Hogan curiously. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why?" Hogan repeated. "I have not been here long, Hero, not near as long as you have been here. But already, I have seen the virtue that plagues this land. I have seen the unity and loyalty that Amaros has yet to offer the Zadonian army. I had a vision about what I should be fighting for. I used to fight for Amaros, but I have seen the error in my ways. I should be fighting for what Tellius stands for. But how could I fight for freedom and virtue and fight Tellius at the same time?"

Ike stared blankly at the general when paused to catch his breath with eyes full of wonder.

Hogan continued. "In every town that I have conquered here in Tellius, I have suffered through the insults of the native townsfolk. They all mention you, the Hero of Tellius, and how you would again lead them from the darkness. As long as people have something to fight for, they will continue to fight. I could just kill you know and say that they don't have anything to fight for anymore, but it is much more complex than that."

Ike stared at him blankly. "How so?"

"Because the people of Tellius don't just fight for you. They fight for what you stand for. Even if you were gone, they would continue to fight for what you fought for. The spirit of the people of Tellius will not break as easily as Amaros believes. They all have hopes for a life of freedom, and you can't steal the hopes out of people, it is just not possible."

Hogan sighed. "I just want to redeem the great nation of Zadonia. For far too long, it has suffered under Amaros' tyranny."

"Alright." Ike said cautiously. "I trust you. Tell me what you have to say." Ike looked over at Bryce. He was still gazing out the window with a dreamlike stare.

"I only have information to offer, and, I must say, it is not much." Hogan replied. "But you should find it useful to bringing down Amaros."

Ike nodded. "Go on."

"He is scared of you, Hero." Hogan said. "He hides all day long in Sienne, behind walls of stone and guards. He intends to stay there until you come to him or proof of your death reaches his ears."

Ike perked his ears up at the second option and looked at Hogan expectantly.

"No, no, I can't do that." Hogan replied, crushing Ike's hopes. "He already distrusts me. I fear that he has already realized that I am conspiring against him. He will not believe me if I simply tell him that you are dead. He will ask me for your body, I am sure of it."

"Well, alright." Ike sighed. "What else?"

"Well, he also has taken an orange-haired Laguz prisoner."

Somehow, this didn't come as much of a surprise to Ike. He had suspected that she would fall into Amaros' possession ever since she got captured. Still, it pained him greatly to hear it aloud. "He has Lethe?"

"Yes. He has taken her prisoner and he is also using her as bait to lure you out into the open."

Ike nodded. "Well, I suspected as such."

"There is a little more you should know about his guards. Most of them should not pose a threat to you or any of your friends, but there is a couple that are very powerful and should not be taken lightly."

Ike nodded and waited for Hogan to clarify.

"The first is Aileana. She is like no other fighter I have ever seen. She is quick and agile, and yet, she is quite strong as well. She wields a sword and her technique is like no other I have seen. There are no real flaws in her stance. Her armor is quite open to magical attacks, but other than that, your only option is to overpower her, which, I daresay, isn't as easy as you may think."

Hogan continued. "The other is Darod. He is strongest man that I have ever met. And he is decently quick for his size. He puts so much power into his swing. He uses an axe and is actually quite accurate with his strikes as well. Be careful around him, I can offer no real suggestions on how to bring him down."

Ike looked at him, full of thought. "Where can I expect to find these two?"

"They are both generals, so I would expect somewhere near Amaros himself. But I haven't talked to Amaros in a while, so I'm not sure how they are stationed."

Ike looked at him quizzically. "So, why are you even here? I mean..._how _are you here? Wouldn't Amaros want you to stay in Sienne?"

"Well, yes," Hogan replied, a little hesitant. "But I managed to convince that I would go to the coast and be on the lookout for you. He was not hooked on the idea at first, but he eventually allowed it."

Ike narrowed his eyes and watched Hogan carefully. "You said earlier that Amaros distrusts you a bit now. Why?"

"Well," Hogan sighed. "It was when your friend was given to Amaros. I was with him in Sienne when a man delivered her in a body bag-and before you say anything, she is completely unharmed. Unfortunately, my sense of moral conviction outweighed all common sense and I blatantly suggested that he should free her. He has seen me in a new light ever since then."

Ike frowned. "So, it's all out in the open now. What would happen if Amaros ever found out about this?"

Hogan paused and held a thoughtful stare for a moment before answering, "With any luck, I won't have to worry about that."

"Why?"

"Because…I believe I have seen Amaros for the last time."

"Wh-what?" Ike exclaimed. He was so taken aback that he jumped back in his chair and nearly sent it, and him with it, to the floor.

"Yes, my plight to a life without Amaros' dictatorship begins now. I can't go back to him now, not after committing this treason. I have no doubt in my mind that someone in this very building suspects that the Hero is in his midst. And he will witness your leaving here, unscathed. His suspicion will reach Amaros' ears. And, with how distrustful of me he has become, he will believe it and have me punished. No, I cannot go back now."

Ike didn't reply, but his facial expression asked the obvious question.

And Hogan answered the question. "I will do what I should have done long ago, if I had the opportunity to do so. I will return to Zadonia. I will help restore it to how it was before. Zadonia is not a bad place. Without Amaros, life will be much better in my home. But there is one catch."

"What is that?" Ike asked, but he had a vague idea of what it was.

"I cannot bring grandeur back to Zadonia with Amaros still in power. I have created this plan, and the base of it rests on the assumption that you will take down Amaros."

"That is not an assumption, my friend, that is a fact waiting to come true." Ike replied confidently.

Hogan smiled. "I foresee a future where Tellius and Zadonia are strong allies. Hopefully sooner rather than later, our two nations will join together and put this hate behind us."

"I would very much like that." Ike said, smiling. "As I am sure that Tellius' leaders will. Except, you have said one thing that is untrue. There is not hate between our nations. The only barrier that is prohibiting us from being allies now is Amaros."

"Too true, too true…"

And the whole while that Hogan and Ike were talking, Bryce silently stared out the window, lost in thought.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Without warning, Ike woke his group up nice and early the next morning under the explanation that they were gonna go hunting. Hunting for what, no one was quite sure when he told them, but many of them, including Boyd, simply refused to rise up before the sun.

Ike himself was very tired. He and Bryce did not return to the beat-up inn until the very early hours of the morning, and the only thing that kept Ike running was his desire to get this final confrontation over with. He was antsy and jittery, as if he had one cup of coffee too much.

Many of things that Hogan had said last night also drove him with this determined stride. Most of what Hogan had said last night Ike had heard before, but never in such a glorified manner. It was as if Hogan was making him a god among men.

After a hard day's work, Hogan left Tellius on that day, never to return. He had a personal ship tied up at port for the past few days and he took it as soon as he was done talking to Ike. It was so convenient, almost as if he was expecting Ike to come to Port Toha.

But, before Ike left the presence of Hogan for the last time, Hogan gave Ike a humble good luck and his sincerest thanks. For what, Ike still was not sure. His last words before Ike left the room said that, Ike was not fighting for just Tellius now, but for the "good of mankind." Also, to add another ray of hope, Hogan mentioned that he reversed the effects of the ice in Melior. This revival of the heart of Crimea was a symbol of the alliance that is soon to be.

With these thoughts still swimming fresh in the back of his mind, Ike continued to round up his team. He decided not to tell them why as of yet. But it was time to get moving.

"Boyd, come on!" Ike shouted, but the slimmest sliver of a smirk touched at the corner of his mouth. "We need to move!"

Ike reached out and nudged Boyd's shoulder as he snoozed away in his bed. Boyd instinctively jerked away from the contact and groaned. "Ugh…gimme a minute…" He mumbled as he stretched in his bed.

"No, Boyd, now. Everyone is ready to go except for you."

Boyd tossed around in his bed to get into a more comfortable position. "They can wait five minutes…" He yawned.

"You're impossible, you know that?" Ike said, even though he knew that he would have done the exact same thing if he weren't so anxious. "Fine, we'll just go and you can catch up, how about that?"

That got Boyd going. With a start, Boyd jumped up into a sitting position in his bed, even though his eyes were still closed. Boyd could not see a thing until he was halfway out of the room. Ike grinned and shook his head and followed him out of the room.

The rest of the group was waiting for him outside of the shabby inn. Off far in the distance, Ike could just make out the sun peeking over the horizon. Thinking back, Ike could not think of many times that he had woken up earlier than this, other than during the fight against Daein and Ashnard, that is.

Many of them had woken up no longer than five minutes ago and it definitely showed. For the most part, they group had blue bags under their eyes and many of them had matted hair that seemed to repel to the head on which it grew.

No sooner had Ike emerged from the inn with Boyd than he was barraged with a slew of questions. Different words were running out of everyone's mouths loudly, creating a cacophony of loud noises. Though Ike could not make one word out of the noisy mess, he had an idea about why they were shouting at him and about what they were shouting as well.

"Alright, alright, calm down…" Ike muttered lightly into the deafening beast. Next to him, Boyd was standing calmly, closing his eyes once more. Some of the other mercenaries were also doing this, but most of them were yelling at him.

Ike gave a big sigh. He knew that he wasn't going to convince them now. They were too grumpy, but later, when they were more tolerable, perhaps then they will understand better.

With that thought rooted into his head, Ike turned away from the monster and began to walk away. Behind him as he walked, he heard such phrases as, "…come back here!" and "Answer me!" and "…coward…"

Sleep was really important to them, Ike supposed.

As Ike began to walk, he heard the noise following him as well. Though they didn't want to leave, they were. Even Boyd and the others who were sleeping, having noticed the noise leaving, followed drowsily.

It wasn't until they passed over the bridge out of town that the uproar finally began to die down. Some of them, namely Titania and Ranulf, were so red at the cheeks and out of breath that they looked like they were about to pass out after all the yelling.

And it was outside the town that Ike finally came to a halt. It was still early morning, but he noticed that they had begun to calm down. Frankly, it wasn't really that hard to see.

Casually, Ike led them to the edge of the nearby woods, where he leaned up against a tree and waited for them to catch up.

Again, the barrage of questions came for him, and Ike was no more ready for this time as he was last time. They were not quite as loud this time, but he still couldn't understand. He knew what the general question was, however and he readied himself to answer as they all circled in front of him.

"Alright, shut up everyone," Ike muttered loudly. "I know that you want to sleep but, by goddesses, you are overreacting."

"Overreacting?" Ike finally heard a distinct voice in the crowd, and it was Titania. And she looked heated. "You have no clue about what we're going to do, and then suddenly, you wake up one morning and have a huge revelation? I'm sorry Ike, but if this is overreacting, then I have no clue how you wanted us to take this."

"Yeah Ike," Oscar added, though he had more of a smile on his face than a frown. "Why have you been acting so _evasive_?" Oscar, out of everyone except Ike and Bryce, was the only one who had an idea about what's up. And he was one of the few who wasn't either sleeping or yelling at Ike.

"Perhaps if you had told us earlier we wouldn't be interrogating you like this." Soren said grumpily.

"Well, to tell you all the truth, I had not had this idea before last night." Ike answered them.

"Alright, great, you had an idea; couldn't you have at least let us sleep?" Ranulf whined. He, like Boyd, looked like he was about to sleep standing up.

"So an idea came to you, just like that?" Soren asked doubtfully.

"Well, not exactly…" Ike frowned. "I have held one secret from you all." Ike glanced quickly at Bryce. He was standing calmly near the back, watching him without uttering a word.

"What does that mean?" Titania said, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, I snuck off last night…"

This instantly drew a wave of furious responses from the one's Ike expected respond harshly, like Titania and Soren. Ike opened his mouth in an attempt to soothe them, but someone else beat him to it.

"He was with me!" Ike heard someone shout from the back of the pack. Ike, like everyone else, curiously looked at Bryce, who looked at them with a furious passion.

"By the goddesses, you all don't have a clue about war, do you?" Bryce continued. "In war, you need to trust, even if you cannot see. That's the only way we can be stronger than Amaros. He's your hero; if you can't trust him, who can you trust?"

"B-but, he just said he snuck off…" Soren said meekly.

"Yeah, but you did not hear his purpose yet, have you? He was with me and we have got some very valuable information that can help us win. But you don't want to trust him, so why even bother hearing it, right?"

Boyd was startled awake from his sleep by the noise and he fell unceremoniously to ground with a thud, but otherwise, all was quiet. Everyone looked at Bryce with a dumbfounded expression. He was frowning slightly, but otherwise, he showed no emotion after his outburst.

Ike felt a little embarrassed as everyone seemed to shift their attention back to Ike once again. They looked a little more uncertain rather than angry this time around, however.

"Y-yeah," Ike started. "It's true. We, erm…we snuck out last night and we found out where Amaros is hiding. That's…well, that's why I wanted to leave so soon." Ike said each word slowly and deliberately, as if expecting the slightest disturbance in the air would shatter them.

Except for Oscar, that is, and he tried to help the others bear the news. "How did you figure that out, Ike?" He asked.

"Well, uh, Soren, you're not going to like this, but…we snuck off to a Zadonian recruitment office. Bryce was going to use his Zadonian descent to penetrate Zadonia from the inside out."

"Ike…" Titania said, full of thought. "That's…actually a really good idea."

Several of the others nodded in agreement, and if there was any opposition, they were not speaking up. Even Soren stood towards the back impassively.

By now, everyone seemed to have recovered. They were not angry, nor were they uncertain. Heck, even the ones who were sleeping were beginning to wake up. Perhaps the only one who was acting strangely was Mist. She stood and endured Ike's talking without speaking out like many of the others. She was quiet and impassive, and she still was after all the others recovered.

Briefly, Ike recounted the events of last night to them before they made to depart. He made sure to mention the loss of a Zadonian general and the restoration of Melior, for, he thought, that would give them the motivation they needed.

So, on that note, they left Port Toha. Ike had a pretty good sense of direction around the lands of Tellius now, after the last war. And the frequent signs helped out a lot.

* * *

The days of constant walking were pretty brutal. Ike was deliberately forcing them to go faster, as the anxiety he was feeling was beginning to take over his common sense. After a couple of days of walking, they had passed through the Crimea-Begnion border, so they were making great time. Still, there was plenty of walking still left to do, and a few people were beginning to run on edge.

On the evening of the third day of walking, they found a nice spot near a river to set up camp. The sun was beginning to set and, given the heat of the day, even Ike was game for stopping a little early.

Soren found a few apple trees and a blueberry bush growing nearby, and he recruited some help to pick them for dinner. It wasn't much, but most, if not all, of them were already accustomed to running on small amounts of food.

They got a campfire up and burning by the time Soren returned with their meal. No less than ten huge baskets had been filled with apples and berries, and Soren had them set down near the fire, but not too near. Chaos ensued as everyone made to grab some grub.

Ike, strangely, was not one of those many. He sat with his back against a nearby tree and watched as the baskets were turned upside-down a few feet in front of him.

As much food as Soren had brought back, Ike knew he wasn't going to get his share. Ike smiled inwardly as he watched Mia and Boyd fight over the last apple. And he was not surprised as he watched Mia take a victorious bite into it with Boyd at her heels. The baskets were dried out in a matter of about ten minutes.

Ike was startled awake from his delirium when someone sat down next to him.

"Hi." Mist said uncertainly as she sat down next to him.

"Hi." Ike replied awkwardly. Mist had been strangely silent the past couple of days. Ike himself hadn't her speak once since they left Port Toha. To make things a bit more unusual, Carolyn sat down on Mist's other side.

Ike hadn't so much as even spoken to Carolyn since she joined the group. In fact, if Ike had to bet, he would guess that no one knew what her voice sounded like except for Mist. Carolyn couldn't be detached from Mist. She was short and blonde, probably around the age of ten. And her innocent blue eyes have forever been warped with fear and war.

Ike continued to stare at the campfire not too far in front of him while he waited for Mist to say something, as he was sure that she would.

"What's going on, Ike?" She said after a while. "You haven't been acting yourself lately."

"I could say the same to you." He grunted immediately in reply. His voice was hoarse and rusty and emotionless.

She ignored him. "That's exactly what I mean." Mist said frowning. "I can't remember a time when you have spoken like that before."

Ike stared into her compassionate eyes until he said with a sigh, "Yeah, I know…" He dropped his head and began to fiddle with a twig on the ground. "I-I just want to get this over with."

"Over with?" She repeated. "Ike, what are you trying to prove?"

"Nothing." He said. "I just want my Tellius back."

"Stop it, just stop it. I know there is more to it." She stared at him expectantly.

Ike sighed heavily. There was no lying to this woman. "I'm acting like this because they need me to act like this. Don't you see? Just think about how everyone is feeling, Mist. Not here, but in the countryside throughout Tellius. Every minute I waste is a minute closer to insanity or depression for them. They need their hero to save them. If they are imprisoned for too long, they will forget how to live."

"You always bring out the worst in people…" Mist sighed.

"It's not the worst in people; it's the worst that can happen to people." Ike said firmly. "And I will do what I can to prevent it."

"Ike, you don't need to do it alone."

"I'm not." Ike smiled lightly. "Why do you think I'm letting you guys tag along?"

Mist frowned. "But you keep saying 'I' instead of 'we'."

Ike sighed. "Alright, _we_ will do what _we_ can to prevent it."

But Mist was having none of it. "What is it? Are you going to use us until you get to Amaros, so you can take him on yourself? We have a bunch of able bodies here, Ike, use them."

"No, no, Mist, _I _have to be the one to defeat Amaros." Ike frowned. "This isn't something that I just really want to do. For Tellius to be what it used to be, I have be the one who cleanses the taint on this kingdom."

"But-"

"No, Mist, before you argue, just think about it." Ike said hastily. "Who would you rather be the ruler of Crimea; Elincia or Boyd?"

Ike took her slight smirk as an answer.

"Elincia, of course, because she comes from royalty. Well, the same goes here. I have been deemed the hero of Tellius already. If anyone but I saves Tellius, the people will not trust Tellius anymore. Just as if you put Boyd as ruler of Crimea, the people will turn away from Tellius. And that unity is what we need when we begin to rebuild. No, it must be me."

Mist sighed but nodded slowly. "Yes, I see what you mean." She said quietly. "But I think you have another, more personal reason for going so quickly, don't you?"

"What do you mean, personal?" Ike said slowly. "I'll have my country back; I think that is personal enough."

"But, where Amaros is, that is where they are holding Lethe captive, right?"

His breath stopped short. "Yes, I believe it is." He said emotionlessly.

Mist didn't say anything for a while. "Does she have anything to do with it?" She finally asked quietly.

"Oh, come one, Mist, you don't want to see her chained up, do you? Yeah, maybe I want to get to her before anything happens to her. But I would do the same for anyone in this group."

Mist sighed. "Yes, I know," She said lightly. "I'm sorry, I just thought…"

Ike felt certain that Mist didn't know as of yet, but sooner or later she would find out. She always did. Ike, however, opted for later rather than sooner, and he went back to playing with the twig.

"Well, anyway, that wasn't really what I came here to talk to you about." Mist said after a minute or so.

"No?"

"No, actually, I came here because, well…Carolyn wanted to meet you."

Surprised, Ike popped his head up and looked around Mist at the young girl on the other side of her. Carolyn was giving him the most curious look. Her stare was so deep that he feared that she could see into his mind.

"Hi." Carolyne said awkwardly. It was the first time that Ike had ever heard her talk. Her voice was light and airy. It was so quiet that Ike had a hard time hearing it. It was so innocent and frail too, just like her.

"Carolyn never stops asking about you, Ike. I can never tell her enough about you." Mist explained, making Carolyn's pale cheeks blush a bit. "She looks up to you, just as everyone does."

"Hi Carolyn." Ike said smiling. Ike waved at her slowly, a gesture which did not at all help with Carolyn's blush.

"Carolyn is an orphan, Ike, both of her parents died in Sienne." Mist said quietly.

"What?" Ike exclaimed. He had never heard this before, but judging by the tears in Carolyn's eyes, it was true.

"She has no home, no family; Ike, she has nothing. She has nothing but me, and you, and a sliver of hope. She needs us."

Thinking about it, it did really make sense. With no mother any more, naturally Carolyn would turn to the next mother-like figure; which in this case, was Mist. And she was so shy, fragile, innocent…

"Don't worry, Carolyn," Ike said sincerely. "I'm here for you."

She gave a small inkling of a smile and said, very quietly, "Thank you." Ike could just make out tears still in the corner of her eye, but he couldn't tell if they were tears of sadness, or if they were tears of joy.

Mist, too, had glossy eyes, but hers were definitely of joy. She had a wide smile on her face and was looking at Ike with delight.

Poor Carolyn, Ike thought as Mist and Carolyn made to leave. In a way, Carolyn signified Tellius in its current state. Broken, yet willing and ready to start over again, she held the spirit that Tellius was built on. And, with any luck, that spirit shall remain.

Ike watched them leave, presumably off to bed for the sky was rapidly darkening. Ike, his hunger catching up to him, was not in the mood for sleep. His stomach was speaking much louder than his eyes, and food was needed now after skipping dinner.

Ike soon found the apple trees that Soren discovered earlier and he grabbed a few to bring back with him to the camp. Once back, Ike sat near the now vacant fire. Everyone had since scattered, seeking a darker spot to sleep in, but not too far away from the fire.

The fire was dwindling anyway. It was sputtering and gasping for breath as the last of the firewood underneath it was rapidly disintegrating into ashes.

Ike sat on a dead log which had been moved near the fire to be used as a bench. He stared lazily into the fire as he munched away at his apples. They weren't much, but at least they were something.

It came as a complete surprise when he noticed that someone had sat down right next to him.

"Oh, hey Ranulf." Ike jumped back in surprise initially but regained himself soon. "What's going on? Can't sleep?"

"Eh…" Ranulf muttered. He picked up a nearby stick and threw it into the flames carelessly. "You know me." He said, yawning.

Ike nodded a bit and took another bite into one of his apples. "How's the back?" Ike asked. It was a constant question of his.

"Can't even feel it." Ranulf muttered in delight. "I'll be ready to beat some Zadonian scum, you can be sure of that!"

Ike smirked and replied, "You'll have more than enough to choose from, that is for sure."

Ranulf grinned. "I'll make 'em all pay. They deserve it after stealing Lethe and…" Ranulf sensed he had gone too far and he let his voice trail off. "We'll, err…we'll get her back, Ike."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Ike replied impassively.

"How long has it been now?" Ranulf asked uncertainly.

Ike paused. "I don't know. Much too long, that is for sure."

For a few minutes, there was silence; save for the periodic chomps Ike took into his apples. "Do you think of her often?" Ranulf asked eventually.

"All the time…" Ike sighed.

"I'm sorry, Ike." Ranulf said, standing up. "We'll have here back soon." He patted Ike on the shoulder and made to walk away. He vanished into the shadows.

Ike soon finished the last of his apple, just a few minutes after Ranulf left. And yet, his stomach still rumbled and grumbled. Angrily, Ike threw one of his apple cores into the flames and stalked off to the shadow to get what could only be called a mediocre night's sleep.

* * *

The next day, they woke up early again, as usual, and resumed their march on Sienne in the early morning breeze. The night had been particularly cold last night and, as a result, the ground was covered in dew. The nights had been progressively getting colder; it wouldn't surprise many if they woke up in snow one morning.

They walked and walked that day, and at around noon, they stopped in a small clearing for lunch. Again, there wasn't much, but there was enough to get by on.

That day, Carolyn was much more open to him. She even took a bold step by leaving Mist's side to walk by his for part of the morning. She didn't really say much, but Ike knew just by her actions that she was fond of him to say the least.

She went back to Mist for lunch, however. Ike, on the other hand, had his lunch interrupted by Soren. "Hey, Ike." Soren said while Ike was devouring a piece of deer that they had caught and Oscar had cooked.

Ike swallowed what he had in his mouth and replied, "Yeah?"

"I think we may reach Sienne tonight."

Ike looked at Soren in disbelief. "W-what? How do you know?"

"Well, I remember this path from the last time we were here." Soren said quietly. "I might be mistaken, but I think that Sienne should be coming up soon."

"Wow…" Ike said lightly. "That's…that's great!"

"Yeah, I thought you would think so." Soren smirked. "But have you given any thought into what we're going to do once we get there?"

"You know me, Soren." Ike grinned. "I think you know the answer to that question."

Soren sighed, muttered something like, "I'll think about it…", and then stalked off. Ike watched him go without ever letting down his grin. Truthfully, he hadn't given much thought into _what_ he was going to do once they got to Sienne, just that he knew they had to get there as soon as possible. Ike, being a man of action, would let Soren think up a strategy.

Bryce, who was sitting passively nearby, heard everything that Soren said and quietly approached Ike with a face of determination.

Ike noticed Bryce walking towards him before he actually reached him. Ike stared at him with confusion until the red-haired Zadonian was right next to him.

Bryce got right to it. "Ike, well…I've been thinking…" He said with some hesitation.

"About what?" Ike asked. Bryce looked uncertain, but at the same time, like he was determined to do something. What, Ike wasn't sure.

"Well, I was just thinking about, you know, what happens next." Bryce replied slowly. "I've seen your side better now than I could have ever imagined. It is so much a better place than what had been described by Amaros and his attempts of propaganda. It's…It's…I just can't even describe what it's like. Tellius is heaven. Tellius is heaven and Zadonia is hell; that is the only analogy I can think of that acutely describes the vast differences in our two nations."

"Oh, come on, Zadonia was not _that _bad…" Ike said meekly.

"You have not seen Zadonia as I have, Ike, so don't even judge. You can't even imagine the atrocities that happen daily in Zadonia. Honestly, the slavery you saw is just icing on the cake. There are worse, far worse, happenings in Zadonia all the time."

Ike looked into his weary eyes. "So…what are you saying? Why are you telling me this?"

Bryce paused. "Well, I was just thinking…feel free to refuse, by the way, it's not that big a deal…but, I was thinking, after all is said and done and Zadonia has fallen, I may not go back."

"What?" Ike exclaimed. "But Bryce, it is your home!"

"No, it isn't. My home wouldn't hate me so much." Bryce said lightly.

"But don't you have any family? Anybody you love and cherish?"

Bryce shook his head. "The only family I have is the man that betrayed you by taking Lethe and turning her over to Zadonia. No, I will miss no one in staying here."

"So, you just want to…start over?" Ike looked at him in disbelief. Bryce was no older than he was. And, Ike was almost sure, Bryce was no more capable managing his life alone than Ike was.

"I can think of no better place than Tellius to find a fresh start." Bryce said lightly.

"But, where will you go? You don't know where anything is, how can you know where to live?"

"Well, that's why I said feel free to refuse, but…" Bryce said uncertainly. Now Ike was beginning to see where he was going with this. "Well, right to the point, I don't suppose you have room for me where you live?"

Ike grinned as he replied almost immediately, "You haven't seen what a wreck it is, Bryce, how can you know you want to live there?" Then Ike swung his right arm around Bryce's shoulder and stared out at the horizon where he presumed Sienne was. "When both of us make it out of this alive, I'm sure my humble abode will have enough room for the both of us." That earned a smile on both faces.

A few minutes later, the group packed camp and got ready to leave once more. After a few hours of walking, as Soren had predicted, they had arrived at their destination.

But as the towers of Sienne came into view, all Ike could think was about how the fort was going to be very crowded once they got back.


	23. Chapter 23

**Woohoo, my longest update yet! *sigh* Sorry faithful readers...**

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Ike woke up the next morning in the very woods that he had run to when Sienne fell. It was here that the six who were left began to plot their recapture of the focal point of Tellius. The air was still with dread and anxiety, just as it had last time. But this time around, there were many more people to experience it.

Ike, like many others, could not sleep a wink that night. Today, if not then soon, they would begin their siege on Sienne, and it would be much more dangerous than any other prior battle. The castle stank with an evil presence, and on the highest tower stood the source of that stench. Sienne could only be cleansed if Amaros was taken out. _Tellius_ could not be cleansed until Amaros was taken out. And that was a lot easier said than done.

The castle stood not too far from the edge of the woods. It would only a few seconds to walk to the castle's walls. The problem lay in the castle's defenses. The sentries would easily be able to pick them off once they emerged from under the cover of the treetops, and they, no doubt, had extra patrols in each and every one of Sienne's entrances. Even from under the canopy's blanket of leaves, Ike could see a few men up on the wall.

As of now, Ike was sure that no one in the castle knew of their presence, but that perhaps was the only thing that had going for them at the moment. They were careful as the neared the castle last night so as to not stray from beneath the trees' protection.

Ike was standing near the edge of their camp while he waited for the others to wake. He stared out toward the castle, deep in thought. So much so that he was taken by surprise when Soren came up to him.

"Any ideas?" Ike asked quietly when he finally noticed Soren standing next to him. They stood shoulder to shoulder with their backs to the camp.

"Yeah, but I don't know how happy you'll be with them." Soren said in a feverish whisper. It seemed as though he was trying to make sure that no one else heard him. "We need to trim our numbers, Ike, there is no way that we can function while trying to coordinate all of us. Not to mention we need to be discreet, so the less the better. We need to use a small group to eat up the defenses one by one. We can't risk trying to get a large group through the main gate; it is just not going to work."

"Yes, that's what I came to." Ike replied. He then pointed at a section in the castle wall in the distance. It was at the base of a guard tower, and there was a fortified door at the bottom. There were no guards on the outside, but Ike had to assume that there would be some on the inside. "That would be the closest point of entry. But even if we tried to run to that door, the archers would have no trouble shooting us down once we appeared from the edge of the woods. We need some sort of distraction or something."

"If we could pose a fake threat somewhere else along the wall, we could shift the all of the sentries in that direction, which with any luck would give us enough time to sneak to the door. I can't believe I am saying this but we need the bird's eye accuracy of Shinon right now..."

Ike's breath stopped short when he heard Shinon's name. It brought dismay to him when he realized that he knew not where Shinon, or many of his other friends, were or even if they would ever find them.

With a jolt, Ike snapped himself back into reality. "We, err... we don't need to attack them Soren."

"But we need to get their attention." Soren said.

Ike paused. "Well, we already know that they fear the Laguz." He pointed out. "Maybe we could have Caineghis and Nasir go to the other side of the castle and make a little noise over there. That should give us plenty of time."

"Hmm, but if they are over there, they won't be able to help us in the castle." Soren sighed. "Well, I suppose we don't have much of an option."

"This is it, Soren. The moment we have been waiting for. There's no holding anything back now. Anyone we don't make full use of now will be lost."

"You're right, you're right." Soren said quickly. "Let's not worry about that right now."

"What do you mean? I thought you loved to talk strategy?" Ike said with a small smirk.

"But we've turned away from strategy, and...Look, can we just talk strategy right now and not who we're taking, please?"

"But I never mentioned..." Ike paused for a second. "Isn't that strategy anyway?"

"Well, yes, I suppose...I'm sorry, Ike, but please just drop it. I need more time to think before we make any decisions about who to take with us."

Ike's questioning look asked the obvious question silently.

Soren sighed. "Ike, I'm not sure you know how important this is. One flaw in our plan can lead us to ruin and, perhaps worse, imprisonment. We need the perfect plan and, even more importantly, the perfect combination of fighters for our dream to even have a shot at coming into fruition. We-"

Ike cut him off there. "Alright, Soren, I won't pressure you for an answer. Think about it as long as you want, but just remember, this is not a decision you make with your mind. It is a decision you make with your gut."

Ike left Soren there, deep in thought.

* * *

It wasn't long before others began to emerge from the shroud of their roll-up beds. Somehow, the flimsy beds were able to somewhat withstand the dread in the air, but any waking up were instantly suffocated by the time they stood up.

Ike had walked back to the camp and sat back down on his bed, not in it but on top of its prickly blanket. Soren stood back at the edge of the woods, where Ike had left him. He had not moved an inch. His unmoving glare was fixed on the point where the highest tower touched the heavens.

All around him, they were waking up. One by one, they got up slowly, drowsily, as if they hadn't slept in weeks. Looking back, that probably was true. There was Boyd, up and about unceremoniously early. In fact, it was as if the roles had reversed as Boyd was one of the first one up and Mist was still completely out.

And there were the Laguz. Although he knew nothing would happen to them, Ike almost dreaded having to tell them that they would have to stay behind. A fighting spirit was in them; perhaps they would be convinced that this was a necessary task and that only they can do it? Well, perhaps not, but there was a reason that Ike deliberately did not mention Ranulf when he mentioned the Laguz idea.

A loud cat-like yawn sounded from one of the beds near Ike's. Speak of the devil.

Ranulf sat up, rubbed his eyes and yawned again. Out of the corner of his eye, Ranulf must have seen Ike watching him for he smirked and asked, "So, when are we going to kick some Zadonian ass?"

Ike shrugged "I still have no idea how we are going to do it."

"Oh, don't give me that bull-" Ranulf bit his tongue, but continued, "I know you must have gone over the "plan" a hundred times now with Soren already. Now, when are we leaving? I need to know when I should start getting ready." Ranulf grinned.

"If you aren't already ready, we may be in trouble." Ike muttered. "And, seriously, I still have no idea."

"Aww, come on, Ike, you can trust me." Ranulf grinned.

"Again, we'd all be in trouble if I didn't already trust everyone here." Ike muttered. "Ranulf, believe me, if I had any clue when we were leaving, I'd tell you. I do know that we are going to only take a limited number of people, though."

"We already have a limited number." Ranulf pointed out.

Ike sighed. "You know what I mean. An even more limited number."

Ranulf laughed and said, "So we're limiting our already depleted numbers to match the thousands of soldiers we are currently up against? I'm sorry Ike, but could you pick a plan other than suicide?" Ranulf grinned when Ike frowned. "Come on, Ike, you gotta lighten up. You aren't acting like yourself."

Ike looked around, puzzled. Everyone else was quiet and somber, as he was. For some reason, however, Ranulf was full of energy.

Ranulf smirked at his confused look. "Call it instinct, call it whatever you want; I got a good feeling about this. Now excuse me for a moment, I'm going for a walk. Don't you leave without me!"

Ike watched him go. He began trying to think about what Ranulf had said, but no sooner had he left than he was instantly swarmed by many of his men. What was said by them was almost as unexpected as what was said by Ranulf. One by one, they came up to him, some of them laying a hand on his shoulder, and said things like, "I'm ready," and "Let's do this," and "I believe in you." They came and went, but countless people had come up and did that before it was over.

Surprisingly, Bryce was the trend-setter. When Ranulf left, Bryce immediately got up and walked over to Ike. He placed a hand on each of Ike's shoulder and looked Ike dead in his bewildered eyes. He then proclaimed loudly, "Lead us to victory." He left as quickly as he arrived.

The other followed in Bryce's footsteps. Mia came up and grapped one of his hands in both of hers and said, "You can do it, Boss." Oscar, Titania, Tauroneo, and others all came up to him and said similar words of comfort and confidence.

And, just as quickly as they had all come to him, they sat back down on their beds.

Ike was left startled, confused and somewhat proud after everything that had happened. He was still speechless, and so confused that he didn't even notice Boyd and Mist come sit down next to him.

"Well, that was kinda weird..." Boyd said, grinning as they sat down.

Ike broke himself from the trance he was in and replied, "I know, that has never happened to me before." He concurred. He looked around quizzically at the others whom were sitting back down and acting as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, please," Mist sighed. "They are just trying to show their confidence in you."

There was a short pause before Ike answered quietly, "When have I ever had an issue with confidence?"

"Never, but in this next battle, you can never have too much confidence." Mist pointed out.

Ike sighed. "Yeah, I'll give you that." Mist, Ike noticed, was being just as insightful as she had always been, although her words were much fewer.

"They trust you Ike, just as they always have. Stuff like that can be easy to forget. They were just giving you a little reminder."

For a few minutes after those words were spoken, the three sat in silence. Ike was left to reflect, not just on those words, but on everything that was and is happening. Beyond the woods was a dark, ominous cloud that they would soon have to enter.

But, for now, they were well hidden in their forest sanctuary. The sun was shining, the breeze was in full force and the birds were chirping. It was as if nothing was happening. Normal life was going on for nature, why can't it also for them?

"After all that has happened," Boyd said suddenly, mysteriously looking up at the castle from beneath the canopy. "I really can't wait to meet Amaros."

When nobody answered him he continued, "I mean, I'll give you first dibs, Ike, because of what he did to you in particular, but I have fostered a great need to introduce him to my axe."

It was easy to see that Boyd was trying to hold back his laughter, but he soon lost his composure, which, in turn, caused Mist to laugh a little and even get a slight grin out of Ike.

"I'm sure they will make great friends." Ike said lightly.

"Oh yes," Boyd said, looking highly proud of himself and trying to talk as intelligently as possible. "My axe is highly attracted to men of questionable integrity."

Ike simply grinned and watched as Boyd fell into hysterics. Well, there was another light-hearted soul.

"Ok, I'll give you that," Ike sighed. "But I don't suppose you have any idea how we are going to get your axe all the up to Amaros, unscathed?"

"I don't know." Boyd shrugged innocently. "I'm not a thinker, Ike, you know that. I'll leave that up to Soren or somebody else. I'm just a doer, you know?"

"A _doer_?" Ike smirked. "Huh, that's funny. I don't remember you being such a big doer when you left Ashnard for me. What makes this time different?"

Boyd furrowed his brow. "I was being kind. I knew that you wanted to take him, and who am I to interfere."

"Kind!" Ike exclaimed incredulously. "Is that what they call fear these days?"

"Shut up." Boyd muttered grumpily. "Besides, this time isn't any different. I already offered to let you take Amaros."

"You're only adding to my claim, Boyd." Ike grinned.

Mist smiled lightly as she watched the two continue to go back and forth. For about half an hour she watched them argue over rather trivial details, the last of which being over what shade of blue a nearby pond was.

All the while she silently wondered how they could focus on these arguments and not on the siege that was soon to be.

And as they were playfully arguing, Ike realized how Ranulf and Boyd could be so lighthearted. Because they knew that they were fighting for the _right _to be lighthearted. What is the point of having beaten spirits and wallowing in self-pity? That is exactly how they want them to feel. The moment that their spirits break is the moment that Zadonia wins the war. Simple as that.

Caught up in the heat of battle and the anxiety beforehand, sometimes it is hard to remember what to fight for. Well, as he sat there, looking at the untroubled faces of Boyd and Mist, Ike remembered.

And never before had he felt so happy.

* * *

That night, after dinner, Soren returned and approached Ike, presumably to finalize their battle plans. Ike sat near the outskirts of the mercenary's, nay the _family's_, camp. Together they were all family. The cacophony of whispered conversation was spread amongst the otherwise silent night.

Ike chose to sit in the back, his back leaning against a wide tree trunk. He opted to use this time to think, but not in an apprehensive way this time. Just thinking in general, because certainly there was a lot to think about, both good and bad.

It really was a beautiful sight, all the men and women preparing for battle with laughs and idle conversation. Sometimes, when you're around Ranulf or Boyd for a while, they start to rub off on you. This could very well be the case as Ike could remember barely a few hours ago that the same people that are laughing now were up to their knees in depression not too long ago.

Silently, Soren approached the dazed commander and sat down next to him. For a few minutes the two sat in blissful silence.

Ike was the one who broke it. "Have you thought about the plan anymore?" Ike asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yes a bit," Soren replied hesitantly. "Well, I've had a change of heart."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I have had a bit of time to think." Soren replied slowly. "You said it yourself, we need to make full use of everyone that we have. But the risk of falling apart in formation would be very high if we took everyone in a single group. Smaller groups are much easier to coordinate so I figured we would take all of our forces and split them into two teams."

"Well that definitely sounds promising, Soren," Ike started. "But what will the two teams do?"

"Well, for obvious reasons, we will all charge the door at the same time after the distraction. Once I have blow open the door and we secure the interior room, we should still be undetected. After that, the first team will penetrate there forces with the second team will guard the rear. The real split won't occur until we have made deep within the castle. The first team, with you as the leader, will make a charge for Amaros. The second team, which will be led by me, will instead direct towards the dungeon. We will want Lethe secure and safe from harm before you begin battling Amaros."

"Yes," Ike concurred. "If the battle is going poorly for him, I would suspect that he would try to find something else to hurt me with."

"Just as a precaution." Soren said with a smirk. "But I have been unable to think up a good combination of fighters for each team. I tried at first to split based on chemistry, but there doesn't seem to be any weak links. If it is possible, I think our group has _too much_ chemistry."

Ike frowned. "If that is the case then any combination of fighters will suffice." Ike sighed and paused for a second. "Look, give me a few minutes, I'll figure out the teams. You've done enough already, go take a break."

"If you ask me," Soren started slowly as he began to get up. "You're the one who need a break."

"I'm the commander, Soren." Ike answered immediately. "I don't get breaks. Besides, it will only take a few minutes."

Soren frowned but stalked off anyway.

Ike sighed. After a moment's thought, he realized that Soren was right. It was very hard to split into two teams just because the entire group liked each other so much. It was hard to split apart the bonds that had been created between the mercenaries.

Ike knew there was no way that he was going to split with his sister. But if he took Mist, Boyd would have to come along as well. Oscar would want to be with his brother. Titania was a huge mentor in his life so Ike wanted to see her beside him as well. As for Ranulf and Bryce...well, they both had proven to be loyal friends and Ike wanted them on his team as well. Soren was always by his side, so why should that change now? Rhys was a universal friend and healer, and Ike was always ready to depend on him for anything relating to injuries. Mia was very friendly and liked by all. And Tauroneo was a good friend of Titania's and was huge role model in his life, so...

Well, except for Caineghis and Nasir, who would provide the distraction, that was everyone. All on one team.

Ike sighed once more.

Well, Soren had said that he planned on being the other team's leader. So that was one split made. But that was the easy one.

Another sigh.

* * *

After about three hours, much later than anyone else stayed up, Ike finalized the teams. No sooner had he done so then he promptly fell asleep on the gruff trunk of the tree he had been leaning on all night.

First of all, Ike obviously chose to have Mist on his team. She was his sister after all, right?

And, oh darn, guess that means Boyd had to be on their team too. This was the rationale Ike used to get Boyd on his team as well.

Next there was Ranulf. The justification Ike used for him was that he is a very skilled fighter and that he would be needed to take on Zadonia's most skilled fighters and Amaros himself.

And then there was Bryce. Over the past weeks, Ike had grown close to the young Zadonian, and he is not bad with a blade in addition.

And that did it for Ike's stacked team. One great healer and four of the finest warriors around would suffice, Ike concluded. Mia, Rhys, Titania, Oscar and Tauroneo would join Soren and rescue Lethe from her chains. This team was stacked as well, Ike thought with a smirk.

With a start, he woke up the next morning with the blinding light of the mid-morning sun shining in his eyes. He had slept in, but from the looks of it, many of the others had as well. Not that it really mattered, though. Ike planned that they would begin the siege by nightfall. So the brave liberation warriors of Tellius would need their sleep to prepare for a battle that would likely take the whole night-possibly longer. Well, it could only last a few hours or even less, but that was a scenario Ike hoped to avoid for that would mean defeat for them, and defeat for Tellius.

All that was left to do now was sit and wait. Wait for the chance to restore Tellius to its former glory. Wait for sundown to make that final charge through the dark abyss, hoping to make it through. Wait for that one moment which will make, or break, the spirits of millions. Wait for the opportunity to bring down the greatest, most terrifying nation in the known world.

* * *

Every once in a while, he would come down to see her. It was completely random and she was always caught off guard when he did so but she had come to expect him every few days or so.

What wasn't random was what Amaros said to her. It was always about the same things. All this trash about how he was going to die if he came and that, if he was smart, he would stay as far away from here as possible. And countless other phrases aimed at breaking her spirits and making her give up hope.

What Amaros didn't know is that Lethe is stronger than that.

Today was just another one of those days. She was chained to the wall of her cell when she saw the light at the end of the otherwise pitch-black hallway, which was a definite sign that Amaros was on his way.

Lethe groaned silently as the man walked down the hallway towards her cell. He soon came into view, holding a candle and a small loaf of bread. And on his face was what had to be a very confident grin.

"I do hope that our last encounter taught you something." Amaros said with a smirk. "I don't like to be violent, but you're little stunt proved all that I can handle."

Lethe glared daggers at him. Yes, she could remember their last encounter, and it was safe to say that it did not go very well. She wasn't even sure if the cuts in her back had healed over yet.

"Hey, don't look at me like that." Amaros said sternly. "You did it to yourself. If you could learn to keep what your mouth shut, it wouldn't have happened."

Lethe thought back and remembered the satisfaction she got from spitting on him last time, and the whipping she got afterward. _It was worth it_, she thought to herself. She was about to spit again when she heard her stomach roar at the sight of the bread in his hand.

The gesture did not go unseen by Amaros. "Ah, don't even think about doing it again, Lethe. I have what you want right here, but I'm not so sure I'll give it to you yet."

Lethe restrained herself and glared furiously at him. "What do you want?" She said hoarsely. She had not spoken in days and her voice was beginning to give away. And this is but one of the many effects being chained up has caused.

He grinned at her mysteriously. His eyes gleamed with great happiness as he said, "The day grows closer. He is coming, I can feel it." He paused to let out a deep sigh. "The day I rid this world of the last threat against my rule finally draws near."

Lethe continued to glare at him but did not say a word.

"This one man has caused me much distress." Amaros stated matter-of-factly. "Your so-called 'Hero' has been the lone setback in my plans. But no more. Your hero has damned you all with the elementary mistake of chasing after you."

"You underestimate him." She spat. "Underestimate _us_."

"You, who fell before my power in a matter of weeks?" Amaros laughed. "If anything, I overestimated you."

"We'll see." Lethe said with a light twinkle in her eyes. "If you knew anything about the hero, then you would know how wrong you really are."

He then moved forward and put the small slice of bread into Lethe's mouth. She responded by snapping down forcefully with the intention of biting one or some of his fingers, but he was too quick and moved out of the way in time.

Her stomach thanked her when she swallowed the bread whole. But as she was eating, he did something that she was not expecting. He took her hands and released them from the shackles binding her to the back wall.

He smirked at the dumbfounded expression on her face. "With due respect, Lady, I believe I know more about your hero than you do."


	24. Chapter 24

****

Chapter 24

And so it begins.

After all that had happened over the past weeks, here they stood at the outskirts of Sienne, the heart of Tellius. It would take no more than ten minutes to walk from they were to the throne of Tellius under normal circumstances. But, as was known well throughout the land, these circumstances were far from normal.

Ike had his troops ready to go by sundown. This was despite the fact that he had been ready at least two hours beforehand. At the edge of the woods they gathered, weapons in hand and armor secure. At the top of the tall wall just outside of the castle were a few torches but the night was otherwise pitch black.

Ike stood with a mind full of thought as he waited for the rest of the warriors to get ready. He was ready, save for one tiny detail. He had unstrapped his scabbard from his back and held it out in front of him, with Ragnell still inside. He examined as if he had never seen it before. For about an hour, he did nothing but examine it. Even as the others started to arrive from the camp, Ike continued, and none of them wanted to disturb his concentrated glare. Nobody knew exactly what he was doing, but many of them came to the conclusion that he was somehow reading his blade, and they waited patiently for him to do something.

Sometime later, after many of them were beginning to get jittery and anxious, Ike finally spoke. "Beautiful, isn't it?" He asked. His voice was so quiet that it almost got lost in the breeze. "This blade. Terrible...yet beautiful. So powerful, yet so serene..."

He gave a long pause and let his words sink in. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, he strapped his scabbard onto his back and stepped off the tree he was leaning on. "Sorry, I'm just rambling now. I know you all know how bad I am at giving speeches." He said with a smirk. "I will try to make this as painless as possible, and short too because I bet you all are just as ready to seize Tellius back as I am."

There were many muffled cries of support. Ike waited for the noise to die down by grabbing Ragnell, this time out of its scabbard, and holding it in front of him.

He stared at his blade as he said, "Take out your weapons." He said quietly.

They looked at him hesitantly.

"Do it." He repeated. His voice was soft, but so commanding that they instantly pulled out their weapon and held them just as he did without a second thought.

"Feel that?" Ike asked mysteriously. He was instantly received with blank stares. He continued, "That's Tellius' heartbeat. You hold in your hands the life of Tellius." They began to examine their weapons as Ike was, as if the weapon was a newborn baby child. Ike continued, "It's frail, and you need to protect it so that the beat does not stop. If, at the end of the day, you hold that weapon on high, Tellius shall live strong. But if your weapon should fall...Tellius shall as well. The power is in your hands now. You can make that heartbeat your own. Or you can desert it now and no one will stop you. It is your decision to make, but please make it quickly because I have already made mine."

Though all he said was true, he deliberately left out one tiny detail; the fact that his blade housed not one but two tiny sparks of life. He could almost feel this tiny heartbeat, as if it were living inside of him, beating in tune with his own heart. Ike knew for a fact that if Lethe's heart stopped beating, his wouldn't survive the night.

When he had finished speaking, Ike put Rangell back in its home and watched as the other continued to look at their weapons with a face full of wonder. Not one of them dropped their weapon, however. Nor did anyone run off. Within a minute or so, they had all strapped their weapons back in place and waited further instruction.

Ike smirked. "So, how was that for a motivational speech?"

"Sounded as if you spent all night rehearsing!" Boyd cried with a grin, earning a few nods of agreement from the others.

Ike grinned back. "I did." He said shamelessly. He gazed out over the crowd of grinning faces one last time before he said, "So, are we ready?"

Instantly the grins turned into looks of fierce determination.

"Alright then, Nasir, Caineghis, you're on."

In an instant, what used to be two human-shaped figures morphed into a red lion and a white dragon. With surprising agility, they rushed off toward the other side of the castle. Within a few seconds, the white dragon and the red lion had disappeared into the darkness.

The calm before the storm. For a couple of minutes, they stood in blissful silence with their minds already inside the castle. A few of them were even looking up to the heavens, to the tower where they were almost sure Amaros was located.

It did not take long for the cue to be heard. Within a few minutes, roars of two mighty laguz warriors sounded through the silent air. They were so loud even from their distance apart, so menacing that it seemed to penetrate through armor better than most swords could.

Putting that aside, Ike watched in glee as the few torches that were on top of the wall move toward the noise on the other side of the castle. The distraction was working.

"Okay, let's move out!" Ike commanded silently once the torches disappeared from sight.

They full out sprinted across the open fields in the dead of night toward the base of the nearest tower, where they knew the door that would allow them entrance would be. Within seconds they had reached the base of the castle. They found the door with ease and once they did, Soren, as silently as possible, blew open the door with a powerful wind spell. Ike carefully stuck his head through the door to make sure the coast was clear. When he saw no enemy soldiers, he motioned them all in.

Into a cramped armory they went. Once everyone was inside, Ike immediately began replacing the blown-in door to the best of his ability, trying to make it somewhat unrecognizable, at least from a far distance. Two small torches on the inside revealed all that was in the small room. Second-grade weapons and armor littered the room as did many crates probably containing more of the aforementioned items, making movement near impossible. The only other door in the armory was on the opposite side of the room.

"Alright Soren," Ike whispered. Even though there wasn't anybody in the room, he was still extremely cautious of not being detected. "This is where we part. Wait a few minutes after we leave before you do, and make sure we are out of sight. Make them think my team is all there is before you show up."

Soren nodded and Ike muttered, "Good luck," and turned away before Soren could mutter the same. He approached this door much the same as he did the last one, and when he saw nobody on the other side, he waved his team through. Soren watched as the door closed quietly, effectively splitting their team in two. And even though they split, their hearts beat as one.

Though nobody else in the castle knew it yet, the castle walls had been breached. Breached by eleven brave, fearless warriors.

* * *

That door led to a remote hallway. There were many torches and a thin red rug down the middle of the otherwise empty hall. Ike led his team down the hallway as quickly as they could without making a sound.

They sped down the hall at a quick pace, yet cautious enough to absorb any change in the surround which may lead to the worse. For the first minute or so, everything went according to plan.

It was here that they met their first obstacle. All of a sudden, Ike stopped short and almost caused Boyd behind him to trip and fall. Luckily he caught himself for there was a Zadonian night guard about ten feet in front of them. Quickly they darted into one of the many dark spots along the side of the hallway.

He was traveling away from them and had not yet detected them. Ranulf was the first to notice this and whispered into Ike's ear, "Want me to take him out?"

He was a lone guard in the hallway and it would be easy for Ranulf to dispose of him without making a sound to alert any other Zadonian guards. However, Ike, being the man that he is, replied, "No, let's travel carefully behind him and hope there is a fork coming up soon." Before Ranulf got a chance to retort, Ike continued, "If there isn't, you've got first dibs."

So for some time, they stalked him in the shadows, never getting too close or too far away from him. This was, in fact, much harder to do than running down the halls without a soul in sight. Physical strain aside, running was much easier to down for at least it kept them from getting too anxious. Moving as slow as they were, Ike for one was beginning to get jittery and almost gave the go-ahead to Ranulf to get rid of him. However, it did not take long for them to hit a fork. At the end of the hallway, there were two stairwells, one going up and one going down.

The guard took the right stairwell, which was the one that traveled down. And since they were trying to go up anyway, Ike suffered no hesitation in leading his team up the staircase on the left.

It was at the top of this staircase that things took a turn for the worse. Ike got careless going up the stairs and at the top, he ran into a guard that was stationed at the top.

The guard, clad in all black armor, was out of the light created by torches in the hallways and was virtually indistinguishable at a distance greater than five feet in any direction. He wheeled around when Ike bumped him in the back, saw Ike and before doing anything else, yelled at the top of his lungs, "INTRUDER! INT-"

Ike cut off the rest with a quick stab into his gut. He pulled out his sword and the guard dropped to the ground, dead instantly, but the damage had been done.

"Shit..." Ike muttered. "Sorry guys. We need to get as far away from here as possible; things just got that much harder."

He knew it would happen all along; Ike had concluded that it would be a miracle if they managed to make it all the way to the top of the castle without detection. Still, it came as a blow. Surely at least one guard somewhere had heard the cry for help, and was on his way to grab reinforcements and alert the castle. Ike had no doubt that they intended to tell Amaros, perhaps someone was on his way up to tell him already...

The staircase led to another fork, a hallway heading off to the left and another hallway going straight. Ike elected to go straight ahead. He and the others broke off into a full out sprint down the hallway with their weapons in hand. With their detection, there was no need for secrecy anymore. The whole castle was probably on the prowl for them by now.

Up ahead, in addition to the unmoving torched on the walls in the hallway, there were a few torches bobbing up and down and approaching quicker than any of the other torches. More guards, Ike surmised, and he quickly got into his defensive stance. The men behind him followed suite, with Mist dropping a few feet back and staff at the ready.

Soon, seven soldiers came into view, with more torches approaching from behind them. They had slowed and raised their weapons to the intruders, ready to strike.

"Let's make this quick," Ike said calmly. The guards were now beginning to charge.

Metal met metal as one guard threw an erratic vertical strike at Ike, which Ike easily deflected. The guard was clearly not very skilled, as he had put all his weight into the strike and was completely off balance when it did not hit its target. And while he was on his heels, Ike took the opportunity to finish him off with a simple stab. The guard dropped to the ground simultaneously with two other guards who were also finished off quickly.

As Ike turned away from the slain guard and searched for a new target, a nearby guard began aiming a blind horizontal strike at Boyd, who was fighting another guard. Ike jumped in front parried the strike away easily and caught him across the leg with a horizontal slice of his own. The guard fell to the ground and cried out in pain. With a downward stab to the chest, Ike quieted his mouth and his soul.

As it turned out, that was the last guard to fall, as the rest of Ike's team had taken care of them just as easily as Ike had.

"Everyone alright? Any injuries?" Ike asked quickly. "No? Alright, good, let's continue."

More torches were approaching off in the distance.

* * *

Meanwhile, Soren and his team were sneaking through the first hallway in the castle much the same Ike's team had been. They snuck through the hallway without ever encountering a guard. At the end of the hallway, they took the down staircase, for they were heading for the dungeons.

The staircase led to a long, dark hallway. The walls were cold, wet stone and stank of rotting flesh. The walls were bare save for a few torches and the rug which was present in the above hallway was nowhere to be seen on this new, cold stone floor.

At the base of the staircase, Soren almost made the same mistake that Ike had a few stories above, but he was able to catch himself without ever alerting the guard at the bottom of the staircase of their present. That, however, had little significance. Dozens of guards were running down the hallway. They had been, presumably, alerted of an intruder by word of mouth, and were on their way to help investigate the situation a few floors above.

Soren and the others did not know this. All they saw were dozens of guards running at them carrying torches and weapons. Soren quickly blast a powerful wind spell at the guard he nearly toppled over as he and the others got into defensive positions.

The wind blast alerted the charging guards of their presence. "Hey! There are the intruders!" One of the guards cried. "After them!"

As the guards ran at them aggressively, Soren came to the realization that Ike had been compromised. Or caught...

Pulling out his most powerful tome, Soren launched a small yet powerful tornado at the charging guards, knocking every single one of them unconscious.

"Come on!" Soren yelled. "Ike's been sighted! We need to find Lethe quickly so we can help him out, let's go!"

They broke out into a sprint down the lifeless hallway. Everything looked the same in the hallway, so much so that they were beginning to think that they weren't moving at all, but running in place. Eventually, however, they ran into another staircase.

At the bottom of that stone staircase, there was a heavy stone door; the kind of door you would put in front of a dungeon. Exhausted and exasperated, Soren quickly opened the door and ran inside without bothering to check for anything on the other side.

The room on the other side was of the darkest dark. There were two torches on either side of the door, but other than that, there was no light. If it smelled at all in any of the prior rooms, it was nothing compared to stench in this room. There were small puddles of a strange, green liquid scattered across the room and overall, it was not the type of place you would want to live in. With a loud bang, the stone door shut on its own once everyone was in.

Slowly, Soren grabbed one of the torches on the wall and began to walk down the hall. Oscar took the other torch and followed behind everyone else. The room itself was not really a room but a hallway in between cells on either side. Ten cells were on each side and there was one more at the very end.

Mia walked to the first cell on the right. A rattle of the bars later, she reported, "It's locked." For all the cells on the right, she did that, and Tauroneo took the left side. And each time the report was the same.

None of the cells on the sides contained Lethe, but Soren didn't fully expect them to. When he got to cell at the very end, his hopes began to rise. If she was in any of the cells, it would be in this one. So, he held up his torch which revealed....

Nothing. This cell on the inside was just as bare as every other one.

Soren sighed. There were many dungeons in this castle, and there was no telling which one Lethe might be in. Just, for some reason, he figured she would be in this one.

Soren turned to walk away in defeat but Mia's words stopped him in his tracks.

"Soren," She said over the creak of a squeaky door opening. "It's open."

He spun around so quickly that he almost set Titania's hair on fire. Sure enough, the cell door was now half-open. Mia looked at him expectantly and stepped aside for him to walk to the cell.

He nodded his thanks as he walked by her and into the small cell. With a closer look at the door, he noticed that the key was still in the lock.

He held up his torch slowly to examine the cell better under the light. There were two shackles chained to the wall for arms and two more on the ground for legs. It was a typical, high-security cell. It was when he bent down to examine the stone floor that he noticed a difference, a big difference.

Relatively undistinguishable at first, close torchlight revealed a small, dried out puddle of blood near the base of the wall. Again, this was normal for a cell. But on top of the blood was a single strand of short, deep orange hair.

But as he bent down closer to examine it more fully, a voice began to speak; a voice much colder and unfeeling than he was accustomed to.

"Why hello there!" The voice said with a lick of condescension.

* * *

This new captivity was much different to say the very least. But, that is not to say that this one was worse. For one, Lethe was no longer shackled with chains; she was free at the ankles and the wrists. She was no longer in a cell as well. Instead she was locked in a bedroom with none other than Amaros, commander of the Zadonian army.

Of course, this was not the first time she had laid eyes on him. He had been coming down to her cell at various intervals over the past couple of weeks with the intention of either getting information out of her or breaking her spirits, Lethe knew not which.

And his appearance changed dramatically with each new visit. His head of dark red hair, starting to fade toward a more grayish color, had grown well past his shoulders and was unkempt after days, or maybe weeks even, of neglect. His eyes sagged and his posture drooped with lack of sleep and anxiety. But if there was one thing that had not changed at all in any of his visits was his cold, loathing stare he gave her whenever they locked eyes.

Just the day before, Amaros had moved her from her cell in the dungeons to the much more pleasant bedroom. It was the king's bedroom and was decorated as such. She had no difficulty adjusting to the huge bedroom from her tiny cell, even though she had to sleep on the floor.

On the other hand, Amaros was now always lurking around her, observing her every movement and that took some getting used to. It was rather uncomfortable, but the added luxury of movement more than made up for his constant presence. She was even served food at more regular intervals, so her stomach was happy.

But, amidst it all, something was not right. At first, it was just a suspicion. But later Amaros was confident enough to reveal his real intentions to her directly.

"I'm not doing this for you!" He had said with a snarl when he led her into his room. "I just need something worthless, something disposable to lure _him_ once he gets here. I just know it; he'll be here soon..."

And then he had proceeded to boast some clever scheme of his, but she had long since lost interest and zoned him out. She wanted to cut him off and tell him outright that what he said was false, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. For whatever reason, she knew what he said was right. Call it instinct or whatever, but she knew that Ike was on his way.

But as of this moment that was the least of her concerns. In the shadows of her cell, she was able to hide it, but once out in the open, Amaros was able to discover her finally for what she really was. Sure, he had his suspicions, but her womb, inflated like a balloon, was all the evidence he was looking for.

She had known long before anyone else in the entire nation knew. That night with Ike, perhaps the happiest night of her young life, seemed so long ago now, but the memory seemed to clarified with age. It was the night that she finally opened up and released her feelings. And Ike...he still had no idea about what happened. He might never know. But maybe, that was for the best. A Hero has no time in his life for a Branded child.

The child apparently wasn't noticeable when she was first handed over to Amaros. But now, it was hardly unnoticeable. And to make matter worse, Laguz pregnancy periods are considerably shorter than that of humans. Any day now she feared that she would give birth, and the prospect of the father not even being there troubled her deeply.

And the fear of Amaros paled in comparison to that fear.

* * *

Ike and his team were able to climb two more flights of stairs relatively easily. They encountered a few more minor bands of guards, but nothing too serious. Even the guards were becoming less and less frequent as they got farther and farther away from the point where they got spotted.

Exhaustion was beginning to play a role in their ascension up the many flights of stairs. After running and fighting for close to half an hour straight, Ike called for a breather, and promptly collapsed onto the floor in the middle of the hallway.

The others gratefully followed suit and fell to the ground with huffs and puffs. For a few minutes not a word was exchanged between the five of them as they stopped to catch their breath.

"Let's..." Boyd said between gasps. "Go a bit slower...from now on."

The other silently nodded as that was all the strength they could muster. Ike, too, was tempted to agree with him but he knew what waited for him, a few flights of stairs above him, and the thought of it made him want to move even quicker once they caught their breath.

"Ike," Bryce said breathlessly. "We're getting close."

One look at the red-haired Zadonian and Ike knew exactly what he was referring to. General Hogan had revealed, all those days ago back at the port, that there were two very strong warriors who would be here. So which one was going to be up there with Amaros? Or could it be that both of them were up there, along with Amaros? Ike shuddered at the thought.

Amaros was a strong enough mage by himself, having two strong warriors along with him could make him close to invincible. 'Still,' Ike thought with renewed conviction. 'I have Bryce, Boyd and Ranulf, not to mention a damn good healer. I trust them completely with my life.'

Ike was so concentrated on his own thoughts that he had failed to notice a shadow creeping toward them. In the figure of a single human, the shadow crept closer and closer until it was not five feet away from where Ike sat. Still undetected, the shadow cleared its throat curtly and watched with amusement as the five of them whirled around at the noise.

"Now that I have your attention," The shadow said with a sneering laugh. "I have orders to fulfill."


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

This new, unrecognizable voice startled Soren so much that, from his current kneeling position, he nearly fell onto his back. He did managed, albeit ungracefully, to catch himself by sticking out his hand just in time. Those around him drew similar reactions. Out of the corner of his eye, Soren saw Titania visibly twitch so badly that it could have been passed off as a frightened leap and Mia let out an involuntary shriek.

All the knowledge he had just gained from the empty cell vanished completely from his mind when Soren heard the voice. That hair had belonged to Lethe, he was sure of it. If this was her cell, where was she now? Or had she been moved to a different cell? If she had, then why? Was it possible that the Zadonians knew that attack was imminent and had decided to relocate her? But how could they have known that? Was there a traitor in their midst? And, if she was no longer held captive here, where was she now?

These questions and many others disappeared from his mind as quickly as they had appeared. The voice had come from somewhere near the door out of the dungeons. Soren silently cursed himself for allowing the taking of both of the torches from their holders on either side of the door. If they had even just left one torch, there would be enough light to be able to distinguish who's voice it was. But as it was, both torches were near their side, which made Soren feel slightly unnerved because it allowed the owner of the voice vision of their whereabouts and numbers, which could provide for a split-second advantage.

Even without the torches, Soren, thankfully, was able to distinguish the figure from which the voice had called. It was a bulking figure, bigger than any man Soren had ever seen. But apart from that, he was able to pick up much. He did notice that there only seemed to be that one figure. But, considering the size of the figure, it wasn't crazy to think that there may be more people hiding behind the man.

"I can't say that I was expecting you, but it seems that Amaros was right on this one." The man said again, taking a big step forward.

Just the sound of his voice sent a chill up Soren's spine. It was as loud and booming as you would expect from a man of his stature, but it was also sharp and piercing. So much so that Soren doubted whether the ringing in his ears would ever cease. The tone was angry and confident. If he could see the man's face, Soren was almost sure that the man would be smirking at them.

The man took another deliberate step and paused for a moment. The ground appeared to shake as the man put his foot down with force upon every step. He seemed to enjoy teasing them, for he was effectively staying out of the light and out of their vision.

The man took another step. Finally his feet came into view as the very tip of his boots breached the light barrier created by the two torches. But even as Soren held his breath, anticipating the man to step into the light, he was disappointed. The man knew what he was doing and came to a complete stop about fifteen feet in front of them, still hidden from view.

"We moved her, if you wanted to know." The man said matter-of-factly. Soren, thoughts racing back to Lethe, glanced down at the dried puddle of blood for a second as if it were the first time he had laid eyes on it. "Although, I doubt that will help you at all, where you're going."

Soren felt his brow furrowing in anger of its own accord. This was definitely one of Amaros' men. His cruel display of arrogance and superiority would certainly have made Amaros proud if he were here.

Soren figured that it would be best to remain silent, at least until the man came out into the open. Fortunately the others came to the same conclusion. That, or they were too frightened to speak.

"I trust you know who I'm talking about?" The man said quietly. "The orange-haired one? Amaros thought the she was important enough to draw a reaction from the hero, and I guess he was right, eh?"

"But the hero is not here." He stated. He seemed angry and, was it possible, a bit sad? "I have something...personal...to resolve with him. Where is he?"

"Probably where your master is." Soren replied coldly. Suddenly, it came to him. This was that man that Ike had dueled, back in Sienne, Soren was almost sure of it.

Though he couldn't see that man's eyes, Soren could feel his cold glare suddenly focus on him. "My master." The man repeated, barely above a whisper. "I do not have a master. I do what I choose to do, and you better hope that I don't choose to kill you right now."

All the fear that had once been feeling instantly became anger and courage. "I know who you are, Darod. I saw you battle Ike. I know who you work for, or rather, work _under_."

Soren could now feel the anger radiating off the man's skin. He didn't know if angering the man would be a good thing or a bad thing, but either way, it sped up the process. "I can see that this isn't getting anywhere." The man finally stepped out from under the shadows.

The man was head and shoulders over all of them, even Tauroneo, who was the tallest one. His arms were as big as a normal man's thighs. He was holding an impressive axe in his arms, and holding it as if it were a twig. He was frowning grimly and his long, shoulder length black hair was parted sloppily so that his bangs were out of his cold, determined eyes. He hadn't even bothered protecting himself, instead resorting to holding his axe lazily by his side.

"Diplomacy only results in chaos." General Darod said with a sigh. "The only efficient form of resolving conflicts is through sheer force, don't you agree?"

Darod finally raised his axe and prepared for battle.

And even though he didn't want to, Soren had to reluctantly admit that Darod was right.

* * *

She was on him before Ike had a chance to react. As soon as the words had left her lips, she sprang into a leap and knocked Ike onto his back, utterly shocked.

Ike had never laid eyes on this woman before. She was small in stature, but by the looks of it, she was very quick. She had long, dark green hair which made her skin seem pale in contrast.

Ike wasn't able to observe much more after that. The moment he landed on his back, she was on top of him. She stomped him in the gut, which made him sputter viciously, and kept her foot there to hold him down.

Ike watched fearfully as she pulled a pair of similar daggers from their sheaths on either side of her hip. She smiled menacingly and all Ike could do was hold out his forearms in defense as she aimed an onslaught of strikes at his face.

His arms were enough to shield his face from harm and the gauntlets he was wearing took most of the strikes, but it didn't take long for Ike to feel a steady stream of blood dripping onto his face from where a dagger had connected his skin where the gauntlet did not protect.

And in a second, she was off of him with a loud clanking noise that told him that she had dropped her daggers. Ike couldn't see how, for he had closed his eyes and shrieked in agony at the pain in his arm. Coughing and sputtering and never letting down his guard, Ike cautiously cracked open one of his eyes to see what was going on.

The green-haired woman was now the one pinned to the ground under a blue cat. Ranulf was pinning her chest to the ground with both of his paws and was attempting to bite at her face. He was not able to, however, because she was able to hold his head back by grasping his throat.

Far from being relieved that he was free from her clutches, Ike ignored the pain at his wrists and pushed up onto his feet. Finally getting the chance, Ike pulled out Ragnell and focused on the women as she wrestled Ranulf.

"Ranulf, let her go." Ike said quietly, his sword trained on the women.

Ranulf snarled in protest, but must have noticed the anger in Ike's voice for he complied at once. Far from being merciful, Ike wanted to be the one who finished her himself.

As soon as Ranulf leapt off of her, Ike took a step forward and fixed Ragnell directly underneath her jaw. He was panting heavily and though he tried not to show it, the cuts on his forearms were hurting beyond relief. He had no idea what the extent of his injuries was right now. All that he could feel was the need for revenge; all other feelings took the backseat.

But, even after mustering up all of his strength, Ike couldn't bring himself to do it. He grimaced as he looked deep into the women's eyes. They were full of pleading, of remorse as she continued trying, unsuccessfully, to squirm out from underneath his foot.

With a great sigh, Ike pulled Ragnell away from her throat and let it dangle by his side, but continued to hold her down with his foot. As he did so, she stopped squirming at once and stared at him questioningly. That wasn't all. He could feel the surprised looks of the others on his back. Someone said, "Ike?", but Ike didn't respond.

For the first time, Ike got a good look at her. She was very pretty, he had to admit. She couldn't be much older than he, possibly early twenties. Her eyes were the exact shade of green as her hair, a light forest green. Her armor, Ike noticed, was similar to that of Volke; it was black and tight, ideal for stealth and quick escapes. In any other circumstance, he would have guessed that she was a normal thief, but Ike knew that she was much more important than that.

"Why are you here?" Ike said, trying, unsuccessfully, to sound intimidating. "What made you think that you could take on all of us?"

The girl looked taken aback. "I, um...Amaros stationed me here. He knew that you would come." Her voice was light and airy. Not one cruel intention was concealed in her, Ike was sure. "Why are you letting me live?"

Ike ignored that last part. "Why would he station you here alone?" He asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"I don't think he expected me to win." She said quietly. "He just wanted me to stall you."

Ike frowned. "How can you follow this guy? He's heartless, don't you realize that?"

She didn't answer right away. Honestly, she didn't know the answer to that question anymore. Ambition? Glory? That was what it had been, but Aileana didn't feel that way anymore, not since Amaros began hogging all of it.

Before she could answer, Ike asked another question. "What is your name?"

She gazed up at him with surprise. "A-Aileana."

"So you are one of his generals, right?" Ike asked complacently. She nodded. "By chance, do you know where Hogan is?"

She gaped. The hero seemed to say something more surprising every time he opened his mouth. "Amaros said that he is stationed somewhere in Crimea, in charge of recruiting-"

"No he isn't." Ike said abruptly. "He is on a ship back to Zadonia, in fact he may be there already. He and I have a deal, you see. By agreeing to take out Amaros, Hogan agreed to go back to Zadonia and restore it to its former glory."

Aileana took a moment to digest this. "I...but...Hogan..." She muttered incoherently after a minute or so.

"He betrayed you, yes." Ike replied simply with a frown. "Well, actually, he betrayed Amaros. I suggest that you go back to Zadonia to help him."

She gaped at him. Surely he was insane? True, she had been having second thoughts about Amaros for a while now, but to turn on him? "I...I can't do that."

Despite her denial, Ike's eyes seemed to soften up a bit, which made her even more confused than she already was. "Aileana, look, I know I don't know you as well as you yourself do, but I do know that you aren't like Amaros. You aren't an evil person. But no matter what happens to you, I am going to confront Amaros. And if you try to stop me, I will not hesitate again. I don't want to, but if you force me too, then I will. Just think about what I am saying. I am offering you your life; that is something Amaros won't offer."

All she could do was lie there, dumbstruck, as the words left his mouth. Her first, bizarre thought was that he was just making all that up in order to get her to leave, so he could have a clear path to Amaros. But she instantly shot that thought down. She could feel the truth and conviction in his words. And even if he was lying, there was no lying to herself anymore; she wanted Amaros gone as much as he did.

Slowly, Ike lifted his foot off of her chest and allowed her to get up of her own accord. Hesitantly, she lifted herself up onto her feet. A few feet away she saw a glint of metal which she knew would be one of her fallen daggers, but she made no move to grab it.

"Thank you." She muttered quietly. She couldn't remember the last time that those words left her lips, but they were necessary. He did, after all, save her life in more ways than one.

Ike nodded in acknowledgement and watched as she hurried off down the hall and out of sight.

Once she had disappeared down the staircase that they had came from, Ike let out a gasp and immediately dropped Ragnell, the clanking of metal on stone only muffling his cry. He had held it in when he was talking to Aileana, but the pain in his arms had grown to a point where he could not hold his sword any longer.

"Ike!"

Though he heard several people call his name and many hurried footsteps in his direction, Mist was the first one to reach him. Staff in hand, she snatched his hand and examined it.

Truth be told, it was the first time that he saw the effects the daggers. Mist hastily pulled off his gauntlets and gasped.

There were three identical cuts along his left forearm, and two more along his right. Even after all this time, blood was still oozing out of the cuts freely, without any signs of stopping. One cut along his right arm was deep enough to see a bone, had his blood not been there to cover it up.

"Well," Mist said apprehensively as the others crowded around to see Ike's arm. "It looks bad, but I can heal it once the bleeding stops-"

"No time." Ike said grimly. He began testing the function of his fingers by making a fist, which, amazingly, didn't cause too much pain. Rotating his wrist, on the other hand, was a different story. "Just wrap it up to stop the bleeding for now."

Mist eyed him cautiously as he winced in pain while trying to rotate his wrist. "But Ike..." She said slowly. "Surely you can't fight if you can't move your arms?"

"I have to, there's not enough time." Ike replied hastily. "Let's face it – what we did here, it wasn't quiet. He must have heard us. We must get up there quickly or risk the chance of having to fight off more waves of soldiers. Which," He added pointedly to Mist. "would still result in me fighting in an injured arm."

Mist looked as if she still had a retort or two on the tip of her tongue, but she kept her mouth closed. Instead she, reluctantly, pulled a thin roll of cloth out of the medicinal bag she kept strapped to her waist. As she began unrolling the cloth around his forearms, she sighed and said, "Well, anyway Ike, I think you did the right thing."

"Yeah, what's up with that, Ike?" Ranulf asked quietly. He sounded more surprised than angry. "The way you talked to me, I figured that you wanted to finish her yourself."

Ike winced at the added pressure to his wounds as Mist wrapped the first layer of cloth around his left arm. The cloth wasn't at all thin, but immediately became drenched in blood where it covered up the cuts.

"I'm not sure." Ike said with a gasp. "I didn't want to do what I did. I really wanted revenge at first after what she did to me." He paused and stared off in the distance in which she had fled, deep in thought. Frankly, he didn't really know why he did what he did. She had every intention to kill him in the beginning; had it not been for Ranulf, she probably would have succeeded too. Why couldn't he return the favor?

"I guess," Ike said with a sigh after a moment or two. "I just knew that she wasn't like Amaros. Other than him, I don't think anybody in Zadonia really wants all this war. They're probably just too intimidated to speak out. Amaros is the only one that needs to be taken care of. Without him, this war would break apart."

Mist had finished fixing up his left arm and had switched her attention to his right arm. These two were quite a bit deeper than the ones on his left arm and were bleeding much more rapidly. "Ike, are you sure-"

"Yes!" Ike replied impatiently, though his arm was throbbing. "I'll be fine, Mist, I promise."

Still apprehensive, Mist got to work wrapping up his right arm. After three layers of cloth, the blood still showed through the outer layer.

"Well, that's about the best I can do with it, Ike." Mist stated after a few minutes. She stepped back to examine his arms from further away and added with a frown, "I don't think it will do much other than stop the bleeding."

Ike smiled lightly. "That's all I could have asked for." He began to test the mobility of his arms and found that, true to Mist's prediction, the cloth did just about nothing in terms of pain relief. The added pressure did dull it somewhat, but that relief was miniscule when compared to the pain that he was experiencing.

With a sigh, Ike began to look for Ragnell, which he had dropped the moment Aileana had left, only to find that it was not at his side like he thought it was. At first, he panicked for the blade seemed to have disappeared but soon realized that the handle was dangling before his very eyes.

Ike grinned when saw Boyd holding Ragnell by the tip of the blade so that the handle was within grasp of Ike's hand. As Ike reached out to take it, Boyd said shyly, "Figured you would need this."

Ike smiled and took the blade from Boyd with a nod of thanks. While Ike began to test the strength of his arms with the sword in them, Boyd continued, "Just wanted to let you know, it will more than a couple of scratches on your arms to turn us away. We still got your back, so don't start thinking you gotta do it yourself."

Ike stopped swinging his sword around for a moment to look at Boyd. He was telling the truth, one look at his face proved it. "Thanks Boyd." Ike said with a grin. "I'm just curious though, how much will it take to make you turn away?"

"Oh, however much it takes to take you down." Ranulf replied matter-of-factly, with playful slap on the back. "We'll stand by you, _until we know you are going to lose._" He ended with a grin.

"Then why didn't you leave months ago?" Ike muttered quietly.

"Good point." Ranulf smirked. "I've been asking myself the same question for a while now."

"Well, if you are done killing my confidence," Ike said with a grin (to which he got a reply, "Yep, I'm done!"). "It's time we move on."

* * *

As Darod approached, Soren and the others tried, to the best of their ability, to surround him. The problem was that the hallway between the two rows of cells was too narrow and Darod was too big. It was impossible to get to his backside without getting in range of his axe, which was definitely not a good idea. The best they could was spread out and form something of a semicircle around Darod, which didn't really give them any strategic advantage.

It did not take long for them to realize how remarkable a fighter Darod really was. He was very quick and agile considering his size; when he suddenly leapt at Mia to begin the fray, she was so caught off guard that all she could do was jump to the side to avoid his axe.

To start, neither side was able to sustain injuries to the other side. Darod couldn't hit Tellius' army because of their numbers. Every time he had one of them cornered, another one would jump in front and steal his attention. And Tellius' army couldn't hit Darod due to his size and fighting prowess. Soren soon found that even some his more powerful wind tomes had little to no effect on Darod. He hadn't had the chance to try out any of his fire or lightning tomes, mostly because Darod hadn't ever given him enough time to switch.

"You'll need a bit more than wind to hurt me!" Darod roared with an evil laugh the first time that Soren had cast his wind tome.

Soren frowned in disbelief as he watched Darod target his next victim. Titania was able to easily jump to the side but was unsuccessful in landing a counter. He turned to Tauroneo, who was right next Soren, and muttered angrily, "This guy doesn't go down easy."

"It's unbelievable." Tauroneo muttered back, readying his lance because Darod had switched his attention to Oscar, whom was on Tauroneo's other side. "I've never seen anybody fight like this before. Other than maybe Greil, that is."

Soren didn't know Greil's fighting style as well as Tauroneo did. Tauroneo fought with Greil for years under the Daein coat of arms and saw Greil in action on many occasions. And even though Soren had worked with him in his mercenary group for quite some time, he didn't see Greil fight all that often due to the battle wound that he had done to himself. But he did know enough about Greil to know that Darod had him matched in strength and recklessness.

Even as Soren was thinking this, Darod began to charge at Mia. He had so much confidence in his abilities that it was on the verge of arrogance. Soren frowned, _it was arrogance_. And if he was reading Tauroneo correctly, he had a plan to expose that arrogance and use it to their advantage.

"Soren..."

Tauroneo had turned to Soren again. He was looking at him with a strangely blank stare, as if his very soul had left his body. His brow was furrowed, in intense deliberation, while he tried to pick the right words to say. Once or twice, he opened his mouth, but promptly closed it once more and thought some more.

"Soren, what is your most powerful tome?"

Soren frowned again. "I've already thought of that, Tauroneo. My meteor tome could probably finish him off, but he is much too close. If I cast it at him now, I'll kill us all. I'd like to avoid that if I can."

"How far away does he have to be away to safely cast it?"

"I'm not sure." Soren said quietly. "If he was near the door, I think we would be far enough away. Why...?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew exactly what Tauroneo was planning. With a grim face, Tauroneo gripped his spear tight and close to his chest, giving the impression that he was holding onto it as if he were holding onto his life. The false, blank eyes which had occupied Tauroneo a moment ago were gone, replaced with eyes that simply radiated confidence and tranquility. And as he opened his mouth, a grim sense of understanding mixed with apprehension washed over Soren.

"Soren, I want you to listen to me..."

Soren backed up a step and gaped, as if he were truly laying eyes on Tauroneo for the first time. An overwhelming sense of pity and awe came over Soren.

"I'll push him back." Tauroneo said slowly. "I'll get him far enough back so that you can cast that meteor tome. I just need your word that you will cast it _at first chance_."

Soren took another step back. "I...I don't know if I can..."

Something about Tauroneo's appearance had changed to make him look almost frightening. He was glaring down at Soren. It wasn't a request anymore, it was a command. "You need to, Soren, this is the only way. Please, Soren, I don't want my sacrifice to be in vain."

Those final few words had a big impact on Soren's decision. It didn't matter whether Soren agreed or not, Tauroneo was going to risk himself to save everyone. With a slight sigh, Soren nodded. "You're a good man, Tauroneo." Soren croaked.

Tauroneo nodded grimly. "Get your tome ready." His voice was empty, shallow, dead. It was as if his voice already knew what was to become of its possessor.

Soren, apprehension and unease running unchecked through his veins, pulled out the most powerful tome he possessed, his meteor tome. It had been a while since he had brought out this particular tome; there was no real need to. It was relatively untarnished as opposed to all of his other worn-down wind tomes because he had been saving its uses for a time like this.

When Tauroneo saw that Soren had his tome out and was ready, he turned back to Darod. Darod was beginning to wear down, but so where Titania, Oscar and Mia, the sole opponents to Darod while Soren and Tauroneo came up with their strategy.

It did not take long for Tauroneo to see his opportunity. Darod had just launched a devastating horizontal slash at all three of his opponents which caused Titania, Oscar and Mia to leap backward to avoid the huge axe.

Darod looked ready to pursue his fallen opponents but Tauroneo seized his opportunity by jumping into the space created by Darod's attack. Titania, Oscar and Mia were all behind him now, and he could feel their questioning glances on his back, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around and answer them. He found it easier to just focus all of his hatred on the man in front of him.

Darod, on the other hand, let out an aggravated roar. "Every time!" He yelled. Tauroneo couldn't help but smile lightly. "Every time I got one of you cornered, another one springs into action!"

In his fury, Darod aimed another devastating horizontal slash. This time at Tauroneo's throat. But Tauroneo was expecting it, seeing as he had just used the same move. He began to run at Darod and ducked under the axe, but he didn't stop there. He continued to run until metal met metal, signaling the clash between two sets of armor.

Darod was taken completely off guard and was at a loss as to what to do. Tauroneo, however, knew exactly what he was doing. He wrapped both of his arms, one still clutching the spear, around Darod's body and drove him back. He had Darod on his heels and off-balance, making it relatively easy to push him back.

It was a strange feeling. Tauroneo's left ear rest upon Darod chest plate. And even though he thought it was impossible, he could've sworn that he could feeling Darod's heartbeat fluttering, as if knowing was about to happen.

Tauroneo continued to drive Darod back until Darod hit the wall near the door out of the dungeon. Both of them then tumbled to the ground ungracefully, and then lay still.

Meanwhile, Soren had opened tome and began to chant. Usually, when using a tome, the words flowed eloquently out of his mouth, but not today. They were shaky and uncertain. So much so that Soren actually doubted that the tome would be effective. But when Soren had finished, the effect was immediate.

The dungeon instantly became unbearably hot and flooded in light. Soren had to raise his arms to shield his eyes from the fire and the blinding light.

And a second later, all was still once more.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Ike wasn't that familiar with Sienne castle. He stayed in the castle for the first time during the war against Ashnard, but truthfully, he wasn't in the castle much then. He and his mercenaries were constantly out on redundant yet necessary missions for the Empress. The second time he had been in the castle was during completely different circumstances. He was in the castle for a much greater length of time due mainly to the fact that Zadonia, the strongest nation in the known world, had them all but surrounded. Again, though, this period of time in the castle was not long enough for him to memorize every room and every corridor the castle had to offer.

But after Ike, Boyd, Mist, Ranulf and Bryce climbed two more sets of stairs, they reached a section that even Ike recognized. The halls were growing steadily wider as they went up, the decorations lavisher. And when they reached the topmost floor, Ike knew it instantly.

Once they had reached the top of the most luxurious staircase to date, Ike stopped and looked around. This hallway was nearly twice as wide as the first hallway they had entered on the first floor had and had more than three times as many torched lighting it. This particular hallway was so well lit that all corners of it were unconcealed; every section of it was exposed. The walls were lined with expensive furniture, exotic plants and priceless paintings. The sole door in the entire hallway lay at the very end of the hallway.

There were a couple of windows lining the walls on the right-hand side, adding to the already well-light hallway with pure radiant sunlight of the rising sun. It was mid-morning now, and the sun now was around eye-level with their position in the castle. The birds were chirping away on the trees below and the wind was flowing carelessly through the windows and into the castle. Ike had been so entranced by the whole scene outside the castle that he had to be nudged by Mist in order to regain focus.

"This is it." Ike whispered, almost soundlessly. Ike silently beckoned them to start walking and slowly, they began to walk down the hall. No sooner had Ike took a single step that he felt an arm wrap around his left arm.

Ike looked to his side and saw Mist there, smiling nervously at him in a reassuring type of way. Ike smiled back at her lightly. On Mist's other side was Boyd, who nodded at him grimly. Knowing that Ranulf and Bryce were on his other side, Ike continued walking.

And then, all movement seemed to stop. Ike was walking, he was sure of that, but the door didn't seem to get any closer. It just loomed on the horizon, beyond his grasp. He began to quicken his pace, but to no avail. Hours, days even, seemed to pass with each step. And after what seemed to be an eternity, they were within ten feet of the door. But that was when Ike noticed something he couldn't see before.

There, five feet in front of the door, was a blue, transparent barrier that stretched from wall to wall, floor to ceiling. The coloring of the barrier was so slight that Ike had barely spotted before running into it. Maybe that is what he wanted, Ike thought grimly. Maybe he wanted me to run into the barrier which kills all that touch it...

Was it even possible to create a barrier that kills on touch? Ike certainly had never heard of something absurd as that before, but he knew that Amaros possessed magic the likes of which he had never seen before; so a killing barrier wasn't out of the question. Tentatively, Ike reached out with Ragnell and let the tip of the blade pass through the barrier...

The blade passed through as if the barrier weren't even there. Ike didn't really know what to make of this. It could be a good sign, but maybe it doesn't do anything to inanimate objects.

Ike glanced over at Mist. She was looking at him with pleading eyes. She seemed to be able to tell be the look in his eyes what he was about to, and she didn't want him to do it. But she gave in and finally released his arm from hers. He gave her a reassuring nod and turned his attention back to the barrier.

Ike summoned up all of his resolve and, his heart beating faster than ever, jumped at the barrier. Ike felt no resistance as he passed through the barrier and landed softly on the other side. Behind him he heard four sighs of relief and he turned around to face them, grinning.

"It doesn't do anything!" Ike said happily. "I feel fine!"

"Well that was anticlimactic." Bryce muttered. Even given the circumstances, Ike couldn't help but smile.

"Come on, we got a nation to take back!" Ike shouted.

The others roared in agreement and started walking. But they couldn't pass through the barrier as easily as Ike did. In fact, they couldn't pass through at all. The barrier acted as a wall to them; no part of their bodies could get through. Boyd even tried kicking it, but all that did was give him a stubbed toe.

Ike frowned as he watched the four of them struggle to get through the barrier. "This is soo like Amaros..." He muttered.

"Maybe he made the barrier so that only the first who tried to pass could get through?" Mist suggested.

Bryce shook his head, watching Ike as his he dropped his head and began to pace back and forth. "No." He said. "Well, kinda. I think he made it so that only Ike could get through."

"Yeah, that's the conclusion I came to." Ike replied after a moment of silence. "He thinks that I am the only reason this war is still going on. He thinks if he kills me, you all will give up."

"Not that I think that you are going to...well, you know..." Boyd said uncertainly. "But if you do, we'll keep on fighting."

Ike wasn't sure to take this as encouragement or what, but everyone else began saying similar words, so much so that it was hard to pick up any single sentence without interruption of a different sentence. And though he couldn't understand the barrage of words sent his way, he couldn't have motivated himself any better. If he was going to die, at least it would be for the ones he loved, and for the country he loved.

"Go do your thing, Hero." Mist's voice was much quieter than the rest of them, but it was those words that stood out in Ike's ear. There was single tear rolling down her cheek.

Ike wanted desperately to say something dramatic or reassuring or confident or encouraging like you always here in those legends, but nothing came to mind. It was as if someone had tied his mouth shut for he couldn't say a single word. All he could was stare at them hopelessly and try to convey them in some other way than his voice that he was confident in his abilities, even when in reality he was not.

In the end, he simply nodded at them and turned his back on them. It was all too much, seeing them so confident in him. It was much easier to look death in the eyes than to lie to those he loved. And then Ike couldn't help but smirk when he turned away. If he turned out to be the great hero and slay Amaros, maybe some writer will make something dramatic for him to say in his interpretation.

The door which he faced now was bigger than any other in the castle and much more ornate. There were beautiful hand-carved engravings on the wood of the huge door, but Ike took no notice as to what those engravings were or symbolized. He instead tried to focus on what was in store for him on the other side of the door. Quite obviously, this room was the bedroom of the empress before her capture. Perhaps even more obvious was the fact that the death of a nation lurked on the other side. Which nation, Ike knew not, but one nation would fall today.

After a moment's hesitation, Ike cleared the gap between him and the door in a single stride and reached his hand out to the door handle. It was pure gold by the looks of it and it too had engravings on it. The handle turned at the slightest push and the door opened just as easily. The hinges creaked ever so slightly as Ike walked into the room dignifiedly.

The room on the other side was much like the room he had expected it to be. There was a giant four-poster bed directly in front of him, the purple sheets of which looked like they hadn't been touched in months. The floor was covered by an ornate red rug which fit perfectly in the room. On the left was a luxurious wardrobe, complete with mirror. And on the right was an opening in the wall which led to a balcony overlooking the courtyard of the castle and the castle-town. There were light purple curtains draped across the opening, but they were thin and couldn't keep the sun's rays from creeping into the room.

Ike was so intent on examining every aspect of the room that he didn't notice at first that Amaros was nowhere to be seen. Ike frowned when he noticed this. He had to be here, Ike surmised, he just liked to play with his food before he ate.

Ike began to thoroughly search the room. Amaros wasn't on the other side of the wardrobe. He wasn't out on the balcony. He wasn't on the bed. But there was somebody else sitting on the rug just to the right of the bed.

"Lethe?" Ike gasped.

Sure enough, it was Lethe. She sat there, he arms and legs bound and her mouth gagged, just staring at Ike. She had the most peculiar look in her eyes, almost as if pleading that he would not recognize her. And after all these months, she didn't look too great. Her whole body was covered in dirt and she seemed to be severely malnourished. But still, she was alive.

Ike threw all caution into the wind as he rushed over to Lethe. "Lethe!" Ike exclaimed as he reached her. "Wha-what's going on? Where's Amaros?"

Ike knew that she wouldn't be able to answer him, but asked her this more out of frustration of not finding Amaros yet. But as it turned out, Ike was wrong. Lethe's eyes shifted from him to somewhere over his right shoulder.

Taking the hint, Ike spun around so quickly that he very nearly lost his footing and toppled to the ground. And there he was. He had emerged from his hiding spot, which happened to be behind the very door that Ike had opened. Ike internally kicked himself for not checking perhaps the most obvious spot in the entire room as Amaros strode toward him.

Amaros looked as striking as ever. He was walking toward Ike with his arms opened wide and a strange, forced smile on his face. He looked as if he were greeting an old friend. His long, dark red hair, tied back in a ponytail that extended past his shoulders, clashed brilliantly with his strikingly black eyes.

"Hero!" He called out as he got closer. "We've been waiting for you!"

Ike frowned. He was never one to make small talk before a duel, but from what he could make of Amaros in the little time he has known him, Amaros loved to. Ike did his best to show that he didn't want to talk, but to no avail.

"I knew the moment that I hooked that sub-human that I would draw your attention." Amaros said with slight smirk, exposing his bright white teeth. "And I was not disappointed, eh?"

"I would have come anyway." Ike muttered, doing his best to restrain himself from losing his temper at Amaros' lackadaisical use of the word 'sub-human.' Ike heard Lethe shift uncomfortably behind him, and Ike could only imagine what hell she had been through, chained up with this madman.

"Of course you would have, but at least you had to visit on my terms this way." Amaros stated matter-of-factly. He was grinning wickedly. "You couldn't just lay back and hide until I made the first move. You had to come to castle or risk, you know...something happening to her, per say."

Those words disturbed Ike. Had he done something to her? He sounded as if he were telling the truth, on this point at least. But then again, you never knew with Amaros; it was always in him to promote chaos.

Ike watched Amaros with the closest thing to an angry glare that he could come up with. "You best hope you didn't do anything to her, or else I will do ten times worse to you."

"Tsk, tsk." Amaros grinned. "There will be plenty of time for threats later, Hero. But first, there is much to discuss, much to discuss..."

Ike frowned. This guy is impossible. "Alright, but make it quick." Ike said with a sigh.

"You have been a very large nuisance, my dear friend, a very large nuisance indeed. I have had one high-ranking officer betray me already, and I sense that many of my own soldiers too are having second thoughts." Amaros said. His expression was blank once more and he had his arms behind his back. If Ike didn't know any better, Amaros was some businessman trying to close a deal. "Why, even a Zadonian has joined your ranks!"

Ike smiled ever so slightly. "Set an example and others will follow, Amaros. People do not like being told what to think, no matter how much you believe."

"That is irrelevant." Amaros said with disgust. "Nobody would have ever dared do something like this to me before, never! Sure, they might have thought it, but they would never act on those thoughts. No, that is, not until you. Oh precious Hero, he will lead us from this!" Amaros paused and grinned in the most peculiar way that Ike had a tough time analyzing. "It is as if they think that you can actually beat me. As if the Hero of Tellius can possibly stand a chance against the most powerful man in the world!"

"Power comes in the mind of the beholder, Amaros. You get what the others give you." Ike said quietly, keeping his resolve under Amaros' increased fury. "And it can be taken away just as quickly."

Amaros suddenly lost his temper and he was smiling again, which furthered Ike's confusion. "You are right, Hero, completely right." He said barely above a whisper. "If I were to leave right now with you still alive, I would be shunned back in Zadonia. Held captive by the very country that I am trying to better. Which is exactly why I must kill you."

"And you think that will help you?" Now it was Ike's turn to raise his voice a little. "They will have already gotten a taste of a life without you! You can't take that away from them, and they will simply rally behind the next one confident enough to stand up against, which I can honestly name at least twenty waiting in line."

"I will kill as many as it takes." Amaros said simply.

Ike stared in the man's black eyes with obvious loathing. And Amaros stared back with his normal confident glare. And suddenly, they both internally agreed it was time. "Well, you can start with me." Ike said as slowly drew Ragnell from its scabbard.

"Gladly." Amaros said coldly as he pulled out a short, sleek knife; the blade of an assassin.

For a moment, the two simply circled each and stared hatefully into each other's eyes. In the middle of this, Amaros called out with a grin, "I did enjoy Lethe's company, you know. She's not the kind of person you want to talk to, but I sure liked locking her up-"

That did it for Ike. He didn't even bother waiting for Amaros to finish speaking, but instead charged at him mid-sentence. Ike heard a scream from Lethe and a second later, Ike was lifted off his feet and sent sprawling back ten feet and into the stone wall.

For what seemed like hours, Ike lay where he fell, head spinning and aching all over. All he could see out of his eyes were fuzzy outlines of various colors and shapes; indistinguishable objects had he not known what they represented beforehand.

It took a few minutes before Amaros came back into view, flashing his yellowed teeth.

All at once, Ike realized what must have happened. "But...but," He stuttered, still finding it hard to string words into a simple sentence.

"Surprised, Hero?" Amaros said with a slight laugh. "Yeah, I suppose I would be too in your position. Mages as you know them are weak. They need tomes to cast even the most basic spells. But you are about to face someone much more powerful than the mages you know. I, like many others back in Zadonia, have complete power over our spells. I can cast them at will without any sort of incantation or tome. The results, I must warn you, are quite devastating. For you."

"_Great.."_ Ike thought. _"He can cast any spell he wanted, at any time? Well that definitely doesn't help.."_

Gingerly Ike got to his feet. His back was pleading him to sit back down and take a rest but his mind and his heart was telling him otherwise. There was a cut on his forehead, but Ike let the blood run down his left cheek. He scooped up Ragnell, which had been flung from his hand when he hit the stone, and turned to face Amaros again, this time better prepared for what Amaros can do.

"I've always wanted to know, Amaros." Ike said as he got back into position. "Why did you target me? Out of everyone in this land, you chose me to pursue. Why is that?"

"Why?" Amaros spat. "You were the only reason I didn't take Tellius sooner!"

"You made a major mistake doing that." Ike said coyly. "You could have found a much more subtle way to rid of me, something that wouldn't unify the entire resistance together. But you went and put a tag on me, thus strengthening what you tried to destroy. That was probably the worst mistake you could have made, and you are about to pay dearly for it."

"The only mistake I made was not getting rid of you sooner." Amaros said with a frown. "But no matter. I have my second chance now, and I intend to make use of it."

Ike narrowed his eyes and waited for Amaros to make the first move this time. He was not too keen on getting hit by another spell like the first one. He did not have to wait long either.

In a moment's notice, Amaros lifted his arms and a fireball burst out of his outstretched palms, and it was no small fireball either. Ike had to leap away at the last second just to dodge. Ike gracefully did a somersault out of the leap, landed back on his feet, and immediately spun towards Amaros and leaped at him.

Amaros was too entranced with his spell that he was caught completely unaware; he hadn't even seen Ike leap out of the way and presumed him to have been caught in the fire. Ike, however, had lost grip somewhat of Ragnell during the maneuver so that he was forced to resort to a wicked punch to the jaw.

Ike let his momentum carry him forward a few more passes, then turned around to admire his handiwork. Amaros had been knocked off his feet and was now flat on his back. His jaw, Ike was pleased to see, now sported three deep cuts from Ike's metal gauntlets, each dripping with blood. His whole jaw was inflamed and looked swollen. It would be, Ike guessed, much harder for him to talk now.

Ike grinned. "Now that you cannot talk Commander, let your actions speak louder than your words."

Amaros looked furious. He got up quickly as the cuts on his jaw continued to spew blood. He gripped his short blade tighter than ever and charged at Ike. There was no magic bursting out of his palms this time. His was brandishing his blade back and forth, poised to strike.

Magical talents aside, Amaros was a novice with combat, Ike soon found out. His motions were erratic, his battle stance weak and exploitable; his entire character for the time being was running on pure emotion.

Ike easily deflected a swipe from Amaros and sidestepped out of the way, almost disappointed. All the build-up for this?

Ike was soon satisfied. Amaros stumbled forward then completely halted his momentum and stretched out his arm like last time he had cast a spell. Ike braced himself for the worst, but no fire shot from his, nor did wind or ice or any other type of spell that Ike had come to expect of mages. Instead, a large, orange cat materialized from out of nothing.

Ike stared, stunned, at the creature for a moment. He wanted to believe it was some sort of hoax created to scare Ike, but it looked much too real to be fake. Its growls were loud and intimidating and its fangs did nothing to help his uneasy. Even worse was the fact that it looked exactly like Lethe's Laguz form.

Amaros watched Ike with great triumph. He was so proud of his work that he ignored the pain in his jaw to boast, "What, you thought that I wouldn't give you the chance to meet my little friends, did you? I mean, you allowed me to get to know this one here, shouldn't I return the favor?" Amaros grinned maliciously. "You see, this here is a type of ancient magic that is unknown in this dry land. I can call any creature at any time to do my bidding. Needless to say, it is very draining magic and requires a recharge time on the mage, but I think you'll find my recharge time very short."

While Amaros was talking, the creature was doing its very best to make Ike feel uncomfortable, and was succeeding on many levels. No doubt Amaros had chosen this creature to call because he knew how it would affect Ike. It was the striking image of Lethe as a Laguz, except that it was snarling loudly and its stare was cold and deadly. Well, Ike supposed that was typical of Lethe as well.

Ike glanced at Lethe to his left, but no sooner had he done so that the beast leapt at him. Ike was too slow to react and soon he was on his back, fending off its deadly jaws with one arm and attempting to push it off with the other; all with Amaros cackling in the background.

Ike felt a horrible pain as the cuts on his wrists from earlier were opened once more by the beast's savage attacks. In his agony, he finally succeeded in grasping the hair on the tops of its head and was able to hold it back for the second he needed. As soon as he was able to restrain in with one hand, he grabbed Ragnell, which had been flung from his hands, and stabbed the beast right through the heart. It died instantly and fell off his body ungracefully, and Ike got up a second later, drenched in blood.

His wrists were throbbing, but Ike no longer cared. His clothes were ruined but that didn't matter to Ike anymore. An overwhelming sense of hatred washed over Ike as he glared at the man of his loathing. Ike's eyes of fury and his blood-stained appearance at the time was enough to make anyone cringe in fear, and Amaros was no different.

Without speaking another word, Ike took Ragnell in both of his hands and charged full-sprint at the Commander of Zadonia. Amaros started backing up in fear but realized too late that it would do no good. In a last-ditch effort to save himself, he raised his hand and prepared to launch another spell.

But the Hero was ready this time. As soon as he saw Amaros' hand start to move, and launched his attack, and he hit his target. Ike was soon engulfed by a minor wind spell that knocked him off his feet, but not long after Ike saw Amaros' left hand fall to the ground, severed completely from the rest of his body.

Amaros was howling in agony, clutching his left stump of an arm to his chest, but his spell was not done yet. He obviously was not done casting his spell when he lost his arm, and results of this were devastating. An extremely powerful burst of wind launched out of Amaros' now-limp left arm directly upward at the ceiling. The burst caused the stone above Amaros' head to crack, and slowly, Amaros was showered with rubble. Ike and Lethe were, thankfully, both out of the range of the rubble.

A minute later, when the stone had stopped falling, Amaros was still alive and standing even, but he was submerged up to his knee in rock and seemed to have no possibility of moving his legs.

Knowing that the time had finally come to free Tellius from this man's tyranny, Ike got up, gripped Ragnell tightly in his hands and walked slowly toward the trapped Amaros. Amaros tried frantically to move his legs at all but to no avail. He was under Ike's mercy now. He turned to Ike with a look of almost pity as Ike got with five feet of his trapped body, but that look soon turned into that of triumph.

Ike felt his brow furrow in confusion. Didn't Amaros know what was about to happen? But Amaros pulled out his blade with the only hand that he had left. He slowly nodded at Ike once, turned, and prepared to throw it...

Ike then realized what Amaros planned to do. Faster than he had ever run before, Ike ran at Amaros and stabbed him in the gut, killing him instantly, but it was too late. A second before, Amaros had released the blade.

Ike knew there was no way that he could get to it before it reached his target. All that he could do was watch in horror and pray to the goddesses that it did not hit its mark. But Amaros' aim was true.

The knife hit Lethe on her left shoulder. Ike cringed as he saw her twinge in her bindings when the blade hit, screaming in pain but not making a sound due to her gag. The shock in her eyes was nothing like Ike had ever seen before. The wound began oozing blood at an alarming rate and Ike knew that if he could see her back, he would see the tip of the blade sticking out.

"No!" Ike mouthed. Without even withdrawing Ragnell from the limp commander, Ike ran over to Lethe, sweating furiously. He knelt down in front of her and, with shaky hands, removed her gag.

Lethe instantly began gasping for air, her breaths short, shallow and irregular. "No..." Ike kept muttering to himself, letting a tear run unchecked down his cheek. "No...this can't happen..."

"Ike..." Lethe groaned. Her entire character was weak, and her voice was think and raspy. Ike could barely see her eyes because her eyelids were drooped so low. He could only imagine what she was going through, being so weak to begin with and then this.

"A-alright..." Ike said, his voice hoarse. "Ok. Mist is right outside, Lethe, s-she can help you, she can make you better. Let me go get her-"

Ike turned to rush outside and get Mist, but surprisingly, he felt a hand clasp around his arm, begging him to stay back.

Ike turned to find Lethe looking back at him with a pitying smile on her lips. "Ike..." She gasped quietly. "Don't...leave me."

Ike felt the tears rolling freely down his cheeks now. "No," Ike said quietly. "No, Lethe, you don't need to do this; Mist, she can make you better, she can-"

"My t-time has come, Hero." She whispered. "Give me my peace."

Ike wanted to tell her that she was crazy. He wanted to pick her up and carry her to Mist if he had to, but something held him back. One look in her eyes, which she had opened as wide as she could for his benefit, told him that she had already made up her mind.

Ike sighed as he sat down in front of her. He used his sleeve to dry his face then looked back at her and nodded slightly. "Ok." He said, his voice shaky. He wanted to sound as convinced as she had been when she spoke, but he just couldn't.

"Ike?" She said. Her voice was getting thinner by the second.

Ike searched her face for something, anything, but it was completely blank. It looked as if the very life within was slowly leaving her body.

"Cut the binds off my feet."

He complied immediately. Ike searched for something to cut the ropes with, and instead of getting Ragnell, he resorted to using a jagged rock. As soon as her bindings were broken, Lethe opened her legs a bit and Ike saw something that he had noticed before.

"Ike..." Lethe said, seeing Ike's reaction. "I need to tell you something, and then I need your help."

"Lethe..." Ike asked lightly. "Amaros didn't...H-he didn't..."

Lethe saw his eyes keep darting back down to her womb so she decided it would be best to come right out with. With a deep sigh, or as deep as her compressing lungs would allow, she said, "No, he didn't. But Ike, you're going to be a father."

To say that Ike was surprised would be an understatement, but it was hard to tell what else he was feeling. His eyes were narrowed as he stared at Lethe, as if he expected her to jump up and say that she was kidding. But she never did, and what's more, she was about to deliver.

"Listen Ike," Lethe said. Her eyes were beginning to dry, and her breathing was so short that it was amazing that she was getting enough air. "Believe me, don't believe me, it doesn't matter. I-I don't have much time left...Please, stay with me as I give you your child."

Ike could feel the tears running down his cheeks once and saw the same on Lethe's. Ike quickly moved from in front of Lethe to by her side and grabbed her hand in both of his. With the closest thing to a smile that he could come up with, Ike said, "I love you, Lethe."

Lethe was on the verge of tears by now, and she was getting to closer to delivery. But though it all, she still managed to grimace and say, "I love you too, Ike," for only one of the few times in her life.

Ike bent over and kissed her on the cheek as she went into labor. While Lethe was moaning and screaming, Ike comforted her, held her hand, and told her stories of how their child, son or daughter, would grow strong and make a difference in the world.

And finally, it was over. As Lethe's screams died away, a pair of screams from newborn twins took the place.

* * *

A number of gasps were produced when Ike emerged from inner chambers. Although he didn't think it at the time, he supposed he must have been quite a sight. First off, he was completely filthy. He was covered in blood and his face was splattered with ash and dirt from when Amaros' spell backfired on the ceiling.

But all that clashed brilliantly with what he held in his hands. In his left was the blood-stained Ragnell, fresh from victory in battle. But the right hand was cradling his newborn twins. They were the two most beautiful children that Ike had ever seen. One was a girl and the other was a boy, and they had fallen asleep minutes after they were born. Rather than carry them on his blood-stained tunic, Ike had removed Amaros' red cape to use to cover them and shield them from his filth.

Ike strode forward and watched them as they gaped.

"Ike, what happened?" Ranulf asked. He kept glancing curiously down at the red bundle.

"Yeah Ike, we noticed that the barrier was broken, we figured that meant that either you were dead or Amaros was. Is that right?" Boyd asked.

Bryce simply watched Ike and seemed to be able to infer what exactly had happened and showed the tact in not questioning, and Mist did not ask either.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk later." Ike said impatiently. "But first..."

Ike walked forward until he was in front of Mist. He watched and felt another tear running down his face. One deep look in her eyes told him that this was all finally over. Some casualties were necessary for this outcome, and Ike finally realized what exactly must have been going through Lethe's mind in her final minutes. A perfect world is not possible, but Ike could now live in the closest thing to a perfect world, all thanks to Lethe.

With his eyes starting to well up with tears again, Ike slowly removed the cover off his bundle and said,

"Mist, I want you to meet your new niece and nephew."

* * *

**A/N**

**Well, here it is, the final chapter. To those few readers who stuck through with me to the end, I ask the question; Finally, eh? On a more serious note, thank you to all those readers that read even one chapter, one paragraph, or one sentence of my story, you have brought happiness to this humble writer. This is my first story, and I know that my first chapters are, dare I say, lacking in quality compared to my more recent chapters (to put it lightly). I may get around to bringing them up to par, but as I am sure many of you are tired of me telling you by now, I am a very busy man!**

**Just as an aside, I now that this is not the "ideal" ending for this story, but it is what I had in mind since the beginning and I have no plan of changing it. Also, I know I said that this was the final chapter earlier, but that is not completely true. I do have plans for an epilogue to tie up some lose ends. Let's just hope it does not take 4 months like this chapter did!**


	27. Epilogue

**Finally, after almost a year and a half since I first started writing, here it is - the final edition to my first story. This is the scene that I have been looking forward to writing ever since the beginning, but for whatever reason, it was probably the hardest for me to write. Kind of ironic, really. Anyway, thank you all for reading!**

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* * *

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**Epilogue**

Seven years...

Sometimes, it can be hard to imagine how much seven years can affect a life, a community, a world. The hours and days start stacking up and up and then, bam! A completely different person emerges from the shell of the by-gone era.

For the Hero and his companions, the next seven years couldn't have affected them in a more profound way. Following that momentous battle at Sienne, Tellius was all but re-conquered. The remaining bands of Zadonians surrendered almost immediately after the news of Amaros' death reached their desperate ears. Some were even seen praising Ike as much as the people of Tellius were.

Ike wanted to believe that after that battle, all could return to how it was. How truly naive he was then, when he looked back on it. After what had happened to them, it was truly an achievement that they were even able to rebuild. One does not just live and forget about death and destruction on that large a scale. Ike, for one, knew that he would forever be scarred by the death of his companions and his enemies alike. Such death was not necessary. And not a day has gone by since the day of Tellius' liberation that Ike has not had dreams and nightmares about Lethe's loving face as she passed on into the next world.

In some ways, he envied her. Ike was never the most spiritual person in the world, but it just seemed stupid to him to think that there wasn't something, anything, waiting for them at the end of this tunnel. Hopefully wherever she was now, she couldn't feel the effects of this war any longer.

And then there was Tauroneo. Ike had broken down again when Soren had told the story of the brave man who probably saved the lives of everyone in that room, at the expense of his own. And in the years following the war, Ike was one of the many who proposed a memorial in his image in the center of Nevassa. That proposal was later granted almost immediately.

Those who were imprisoned in Zadonia were released and on the first ships back to Tellius within the month after the war. Rulers assumed their positions and farmers went back to their land, each just beaten and worn as the last. There would forever be a void left in their hearts.

Some good came out of the war, too. Communications with Zadonia increased exponentially over the next couple of years. Trade had been established in that time, and Zadonia, even though the "loser" of the war, offered to help Tellius rebuild. Zadonia also became a much less aggressive country after Amaros, having imposed formal peace treaties between themselves and Tellius as well as with their neighboring nation, Dynastia. General Harod assumed the position of Commander of the army, but that was more of a formality now because it was hardly ever used. Occasionally, Ike would get a letter from Harod, to which Ike would always reply.

Just as Ike had been expecting, and much to his dismay, he became something of a trophy after the war; shiny on the outside and empty on the inside. People would come up to him, begging simply to let them touch his feet. He gave countless rally cries across Tellius. Ike thanked them for their high regard of him, but he thanked the goddesses more when they stopped.

And then, they were back.

* * *

"Ike, wake up!"

Ike woke up to persistent shoves to his shoulder as he dozed on the couch in the fort that he had come to know and love. Ike and many of the mercenaries had come here after the war. Ike, Mist, Boyd, Oscar, Titania, Mia and Soren were all that were left of the once-numerous mercenaries. Rolf had grown up and joined the Crimean Royal Knights, and he dropped by every once in a while. Gatrie could be found in bars across Tellius and nobody really knew what became of Shinon. He returned to the fort for a couple of weeks and then suddenly left one day.

Although, it would be wrong to call them mercenaries any more. They were given so much money from the various kingdoms around Tellius that there was no possible way that they could spend it all in their lifetimes. So, they didn't not work much anymore, for which Ike did not complain.

It was now around midday, and Ike had been enjoying a nice nap after a long morning of chores. Or, as Titania put it, "messing around." But Ike just smirked when she said that. It wasn't everyday that Ranulf came to visit. Ike intended to make use of these couple of days with him no matter what Titania said, for it would be two whole weeks until he came back again!

Ike awoke with a start. He had been having a very strange dream, dominated by grotesque blood red forms that Ike could not identify.

With a giant yawn, Ike got into a sitting position and stretched his arms up into the air. When he opened his eyes, he saw his seven year old son standing before him with the craziest look in his eyes. He was tall and lanky, just like his father at age seven. His hair was a pale shade of brown cut short and he, like his sister, had deep purple eyes. Ike had named him Jasek.

"Ike, come one, get up! We have to go, now!"

He grabbed Ike's hand and began tugging as hard as he could.

"What's going on?" He remained steadfastly in his seat on the couch, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.

"Uncle Boyd told me you would teach me to spar today!" Jasek said eagerly. "Come on, we don't have time to waste!"

"Boyd said that, huh?" Ike said bitterly, with a small smile. "I think I'm gonna need a word with 'Uncle Boyd' later."

"So..." Jasek's shoulders dropped in disappointment. "So we're not gonna spar?"

Ike got onto his feet and put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Not right now Jay, but I promise I'll teach you later today. Why don't you go play with Philip while I go do some grown-up stuff?"

Jasek looked up at his father, nodded slowly and rushed off quickly down the hall and out of sight. Philip was Mist and Boyd's six year old son, and the two of them were often seen together. They spent most of their time together plotting some kind of prank on the various elders of the fort, Boyd typically being the main target.

Ike yawned again and began walking in the opposite direction that his son had run off in. Down the familiar hallway he walked, remembering all those months ago, at the end of the war against Ashnard, when the group had returned here. They were merry for all of about a week until they were engulfed in war again.

At the end of the hallway was the door out of the fort and Ike opened it to the breeze and sunlight outside. It was truly a welcoming sight. The field surrounding the fort had changed somewhat, but not for the worse. The flowers were blooming and new trees were sprouting all over.

Right in front of him, some ten feet away, were Mist, Boyd and Titania, playing with two year old Rosie, daughter of Boyd and Mist.

"Boyd!" Ike called with a grin. "I've got something to say to you."

Boyd turned to Ike, as did the other two. "Ah, Ike!' Boyd said as Ike got close. "So, I'm guessing Jay asked you then? Are you going to do it?"

"Well, I kinda have to now, but I can't say that I like it."

Boyd laughed. "Oh, come on Ike, Greil was teaching you to spar before you could walk. He looks up to you, it's time that you show him what you love to do the most."

"Yeah, you're right, Boyd." Ike grinned, then in an undertone added, "For the first time in your life."

Boyd frowned. "Take Philip with you. I saw him and Jasek butting heads earlier, which is probably a bad sigh for me."

Ike smirked. "You're scared of your six year old son?"

"I've been far and wide with you Ike, fighting off the most powerful nation in the world, and I can honestly say that nothing scares me more than those two when they start scheming."

Ike laughed. "Alright, I'll take Philip too then. I'll see you guys in a bit."

As he turned to leave, he saw everyone waving goodbye to him, including the little bundle in Mist's arms.

As he reached the fort's entrance, Ike called back, "She's beautiful, Mist." Mist looked back at him a smiled as Ike turned back around.

Ike walked back into the fort and down the hall with all the bedrooms in it. One of them was slightly ajar, and Ike caught a glimpse of the two kids, close together and whispering fervently. Ike smiled inwardly but passed the room by. There was one other person that Ike had to get to first.

The door at the very end of the hall was closed, as it normally was. Ike's daughter, Angela, was a stick-to-herself kind of girl, and Ike couldn't blame her. In his own youth, Ike used to enjoy the serenity that only his room could offer.

Ike knocked and opened the door to find his daughter sitting on her bed, a pencil on her hand and a bundle of parchment on her lap.

Angela took mostly after her mother. She had shoulder length orange and a short, petite figure. She could pull a temper tantrum ever once in a while but she was usually very charming. Her eyes, like her brother's, were deep purple.

"Hey Angie." Ike said with a small smile as he walked into the room. "What are you up to?"

"Hi, daddy." She replied, and then held up her parchment for him to see. "I'm drawing a picture, look."

Ike walked over and sat next to her on the bed and examined the picture. It was simple and contained only three figures. A man was on the left. He was tall and had blue hair, Ike presumed that this was him. In the middle was a short little girl with orange hair, Angie. And on the right was a womanly figure with vivid orange hair that reached her shoulders, her mother. They were all smiling and holding hands.

Ike felt himself smile. "Her hair wasn't that long." Ike said softly. "Your mother's. But you're absolutely right, she did have bright orange hair."

She frowned. "Since you know so much, why don't you draw it daddy?"

Ike laughed, "'Cause I am nowhere near as good a drawer as you are. Are you finished with this?"

"Yes I think so. Why?"

"Because I'd like to keep it, if you don't mind."

"Well, I guess so." She said with a frown. Ike smiled and put the picture into his pocket.

"Now, I got something I need to show you." Ike said. "Come on."

Ike got up and offered his hand to his daughter. She took it and asked on the way out the room, "Where are we going daddy?"

"You'll see." Ike led her down the hall but stopped at the door which he knew Jasek was behind. He pushed open the door, and the two behind it jumped about two feet in the air in surprise.

Ike laughed at their reactions and could hear Angie giggling too. "Don't worry, you two, I'm not here to punish you. Jay, I have something I need to show you. Sorry that I have to take him off your hands, Philip."

"Aw man..." Philip sighed as Jasek trudged over to his father.

"Hey, listen, I'm going to teach Jay how to spar a little later today. I'll let you come along too, if you do something for me."

"Really?" Philip asked giddily. "What do I have to do?"

"All I ask is that you pull off a good prank on your father while I'm gone. Can you do that for me?"

"Oh boy, can I!" Philip hollered in delight. "I got just the thing, thank you Uncle Ike!"

Ike grinned. "Well, I'll leave you to your planning then. We'll be back soon."

Ike stepped out of the doorframe and closed the door, glimpsing Philip proceed with renewed vigor the brainstorming of prank ideas.

"Ok, let's go."

Ike led the way out of the fort, with Jasek and Angela right on his heels. They treaded off the path and towards the trees ahead.

"A-are we going into the forest?" Angie asked, her voice trembling a bit.

"Yeah, but not very deep in." Ike replied.

"But you forbade us from going into the forest." Jasek said. He too was not as confident as he usually was.

"I give you permission this one time, and anytime that you should choose to return to the place where we are going. Just please tell me that you are going there before you do go." Ike sighed. "Come on, just a little further."

Sometimes, he wondered whether he should be showing this to his kids at all, let alone at their age. But in the end, he had come to the conclusion that they should know, that they had the right to know. Who was he to deny paying their respects to their own mother?

They reached the clearing in a matter of minutes. Ike smiled when they got there and he saw their reactions. Mouth agape they observed the scene before them with deep interest.

It seemed like only yesterday that Ike had shown this place to Mist for the first time all those months ago, and she had displayed a similar reaction to the scene as the two next to him are displaying.

It was a wonderful little meadow. There was a small pond in the center of the scene, and trees had mysteriously stopped growing anywhere within ten feet of the pond, creating a small clearing. It was the perfect place, in Ike's opinion, for Lethe to be laid to rest, and still be within Ike's reach.

Ike smiled down at his kids. "Like it?" He asked, although their faces already told him the answer.

"Wow." Angie said silently, as Jasek stared on in silence.

"I used to come here all the time as a kid." Ike said. "That pond always helped me to relax. If anything was wrong, anything at all, I would come here to make things right again."

For a few minutes they stood together in silence, observing all that was going on around them. Birds were chirping away and wind was causing little ripples in the water.

"Is this...Is this all that you wanted to show us?" Jasek asked. Ike could tell that he was getting bored, but didn't want to disappoint Ike.

"No." Ike sighed. "Listen kids, this next part might be kind of hard. Don't worry; it is hard on me too, very hard. Take my hand and we'll tackle it together."

Ike offered one of his hands to each of them, which they took immediately. Ike began to walk towards the water. Ike sighed, and then said slowly, "Jasek, Angela, this is where you can come to talk to your mother...This is where she is buried."

Previously unseen to the twins before now, a gravestone was planted right on the water's edge, facing them. Her eternal resting place.

They continued walking and the kids seemed to be taking it well. But Ike could feel a tear drifting down his own cheek. They were too young; they did not even know their mother.

But as they got up close to it and kneeled before it, the full gravity of the situation sunk in. Ike could feel himself losing it, and on either side of him, he could hear his kids weeping too. Ike spread his arms wide and allowed them to snuggle up into his side. He gave them both a slight squeeze and then looked up at the gravestone.

There was no name on the gravestone nor were there any dates. Ike believed Lethe wouldn't have cared for any of that stuff. Instead there were a few choice words etched into the stone, written by Ike himself:

_Even if the candlelight gives in,_

_Still burning is the fire within_

"Your fire is burning brighter than ever, Lethe." Ike said silently amidst his kid's sobs. "I only hope that you can see it."


End file.
